(COLOMBO) – Sri Lanka is to increase its number of English medium schools to 1,000 from the present 765 and towards this end some 3,500 teachers both new and retired are to be recruited, officials said.
They said that the recommendation was made by a Cabinet Sub-Committee on National Education Policy headed by President Ranil Wickremesinghe and it is hoped to target 200,000 students in the English medium by 2025.
Eight English medium subjects had been introduced in schools since 2000. Although 24 years have lapsed, these subjects are currently taught in English medium in only 765 schools, they said.
In a directive President Wickremesinghe has instructed the recruitment of 2,500 new teachers to expedite the implementation of this initiative. Given the urgent nature of this task, it was further advised to swiftly hire 1,000 qualified retired teachers capable of teaching subjects in the English medium on a contract basis for three years.
Additionally, the directive includes recruiting 1,100 graduates proficient in teaching in the English medium through an open competitive examination, the officials added.
