Compulsory training for teacher recruits

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

On President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s directive the Education Ministry has taken a policy decision to deploy new teachers to the school system only after they have undergone at least one year’s teacher training program, Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena said.

The Education Ministry has taken such a decision since it has been revealed that certain newly recruited graduate English teachers lack teaching capabilities though they were well educated.

When the President was informed of this situation, he directed the Education Minister to conduct a teacher training program before inducting new teachers to the school system. Therefore, it has been made compulsory for new teachers to undergo a teacher training program.

The Minister further said that the Education Ministry will only recruit new teachers to the teachers’ service in a highly organized systematic manner from next year.

The system will carefully select the most suitable persons to the teaching career since teachers are directly responsible for the future of the next generation.