German language teacher training

Chamikara Weerasinghe

Cultural relations between Sri Lanka and Germany will be enhanced following the signing of a memorandum of understanding on German language teacher training programs on July 10 between Director Goethe Institut (German Cultural Centre) Richard Lang and Principal Colombo Musaeus College S. Dandeniya.

The German Cultural Centre will assist the school by extending its German language training programs to the school’s teachers under its world-wide partner school initiative, “Schools: Partners for the Future”(PASCH) in keeping with this memorandum of understanding.

Among the signatories were Acting ambassador of Germany Dr. Stefan Weckbach and Chairman of Musaeus College Ajita De Zoysa. “Signing this contract will strengthen our relations with Sri Lanka for a long time,” said Goethe Institute Director Lang after signing the MoU, “This will give substantial advantages for the teachers and the pupils alike.”

The teachers will be systematically trained in German with the goal of clearing the ‘Zertifikat Deutsch’(‘German language certificate’)exam after training them in basic German. Afterwards, they will take part in a special training program in teaching methodology and didactics accompanied by regular language classes at upper-intermediate levels under this initiative.

Musaeus College is the third PASCH school in Sri Lanka.

The PASCH project was launched in 2008 by the Goethe Institute, Centre for Overseas Schooling, German Academic Exchange and Educational Exchange . The program was founded by Federal Foreign Minister Dr. Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The project has reportedly succeeded in uniting and connecting more than 1000 schools in a worldwide network.

The focus will be on countries receiving development aid where German language is not wide-spread.

In spite of the ongoing economic and financial crises, the project’s budget has been increased by 20 percent from 45 Million to 54.7 Million Euro between 2007 and 2009. PASCH will extend and strengthen the network of German schools abroad and schools offering the German Language Certificate.