Education Sector Development ... - Minister of Education€¦ · Religious education ... SBA ‐ School‐Based Assessment SBLIG ‐ School‐Based Learning Improvement Grant

The national programme of transforming one thousand secondary schools and five thousand primary schools for the knowledge-based development of future Sri Lanka as envisaged in the

Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future (2012-2016)

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© Policy and Planning Branch Ministry of Education Isurupaya Battaramulla Sri Lanka Tel: ++ 94 11 2785841‐50; ++94 11 2786182 Hotline: 1988 (National Operational Room, MoE) Fax: + 94 11 2786182 Web: www.moe.gov.lk All Rights Reserved. Data and information contained in this document may be quoted with proper acknowledgements. First Draft: October 31, 2012 Final Version: November 15, 2012 Printed: 2013

iii

Education Sector Development Framework and Programme (ESDFP) (2012‐2016)

Ministry of Education

The national programme of transforming one thousand secondary schools and five thousand primary schools for the knowledge‐based

development of future Sri Lanka as envisaged in the Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future (2012‐2016)

Guidelines for improving learning environment of primary and secondary schools in Sri Lanka

Schools are currently going through the process of transforming themselves under the national programme of transforming one thousand secondary schools and five thousand primary schools for the knowledge‐based development of future Sri Lanka. The process will lead to the development of future citizens of Sri Lanka who will take up the challenge of making Sri Lanka the foundation of a knowledge hub in Asia. ‘The guidelines for improving learning environment of primary and secondary schools in Sri Lanka’ provides the school principals and teachers with a comprehensive picture of the task before them. It urges them to make the best use of the physical and infrastructure facilities which contribute to the creation of a good learning environment and reminds them of the importance of the human factor which creates the psycho‐social environment in which active learning takes place. School principals and teachers should study this guideline carefully and within the broad guidelines provided take their own initiatives to develop strategies and action plans to reach the targets outlined. The implementation of these plans efficiently and effectively is the responsibility of the school communities led by the principal. We are certain that the schools and the officers that facilitate the tasks of the schools will find these guidelines useful in the important task before them.

Message from the Hon. Minister of Education

According to the Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future, the education system should not be focused on the next few years, but the next one hundred years. Based on this mission the Ministry of Education has taken a number of initiatives to achieve the national objectives. A nation’s wealth is in its skilled human resources who convert knowledge into useful and value added thinking, goods and services. Sri Lanka has already acquired high levels of achievements in relation to external and internal efficiency of the system. However, the government’s vision is that the future generations of Sri Lankan citizens are equipped with competencies to meet the challenges of changing, globalised and knowledge driven economies. In doing so, the Ministry of Education has already taken steps to develop full-fledged 1,000 secondary schools network linking 5,000 feeder primary schools across the system. All 1,000 secondary schools will receive fully-equipped Mahindodaya Technological Laboratories, other infrastructure facilities and human resources. Simultaneously, learning environments of secondary schools as well as primary schools have to be improved and should be made attractive. If education is to be the real heritage of the poor in addition to ensuring free education, the quality of education should be improved. Hence, in effecting a giant turning point in free education in Sri Lanka we are building the future of your children. To improve such learning environment at school, the school community comprising the principal, teachers, parents, past-pupils and well-wishers have to play a key role keeping in mind that ‘this is your child’s school’. In this mission, this guideline will provide some directions to school community to develop the learning environment at school level. The guideline does not provide all instructions, but direct the school community to explore further ways and means of achieving the objectives. I presume that all stakeholders will get maximum benefit from this guideline which will pave the way to improve the quality of education in our country.

I wish to thank the officials who contributed to the preparation of this guideline, and also I wish that all school principals, teachers and respective officials will use this guideline to provide a better education for the children of this country.

Bandula Gunawardana (MP) Minister of Education

iv

v

Foreword This booklet while providing the background to the development of the national programme of transforming one thousand secondary schools and five thousand primary schools presents broad guidelines on creating and maintaining healthy learning environments in schools in order to make them centres of learning. It is meant for principals, teachers, parents, officers, members of School Development Committees and the school community in general. During the next few years we are faced with the challenge of transforming our schools to ensure the achievement of the objectives of the knowledge‐based development of future Sri Lanka as envisaged in the ‘Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future.’ Funds have been provided to make physical resources available to schools with a special focus on higher‐order learning spaces and capital assets. Introduction of modern technology and teaching‐learning methods will enable our students to gain skills and knowledge required to enter the world of work which will demand new competencies. Sri Lanka has been successful in providing good basic education in the past which has provided the basic skills and a high literacy rate. However the skills and competencies required for modern knowledge‐based economic activities are more complex. Schools should be able to identify the skills that will enable their students to compete in the local as well as international labour market and cater to these needs while delivering the curriculum. The delivery of the curriculum should not be restricted to the classroom and the textbook. Students learn much more through the activities outside the four walls of a classroom, in the playground, in the school garden, in the neighbourhood and in places where agricultural and industrial activities take place. The soft‐skills that are needed to be good citizens values, attitudes, ability to live in harmony amidst social and ethnic diversity, tolerance, all these and much more come from opportunities provided to students outside the classroom. Leadership at school level is important for us to achieve the objectives of this national effort. While guidelines provide a direction and a framework, initiatives at school level and creativity, entrepreneurship, teamwork and commitment of school leaders will go a long way to make a school effective. I invite all schools to take up the challenge before them. We are working with children who are the citizens of tomorrow. What we make of them will also make the future Sri Lanka. I wish to thank Mr S.U. Wijeratne, Additional Secretary, Policy, Planning and Performance Review Division, Mrs Madura M. Wehella, Director of Education, Policy and Planning Branch, respective subject Directors and all officers of the Ministry of Education who contributed to the preparation of this booklet, which I am sure will be further improved when we get feedback from the users.

Anura Dissanayake Secretary ‐ Ministry of Education

vi

Contents

Message from the Hon. Minister of Education ............................................................................................ iv Foreword ....................................................................................................................................................... v Contents ....................................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables, Figures, Boxes, and Annexure ............................................................................................. viii Abbreviations ............................................................................................................................................... ix Section One Introduction ......................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Purpose of the guideline ........................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Overview ................................................................................................................................... 1

Section Two The Background ................................................................................................................................... 3 2.1 ESDFP (2012‐2016) in brief ....................................................................................................... 3 2.2 Rationale ................................................................................................................................... 5 2.3 Vision ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2.4 Mission ...................................................................................................................................... 5 2.5 Goals .......................................................................................................................................... 5 2.6 Expected outcomes/results ...................................................................................................... 6 2.7 Implementation framework ...................................................................................................... 6 2.8 Timeframe ................................................................................................................................. 6 2.9 Main development components ............................................................................................... 6

Section Three Improving the quality of education: improving learning environment of schools ................................. 8 3.1 The need for a holistic approach .............................................................................................. 8 3.2 Learning environment ............................................................................................................... 9 3.3 Delivery of the curriculum ...................................................................................................... 11 3.3.1 Primary education ............................................................................................................... 12 a. Child‐friendly approach (CFA) ................................................................................................. 12 b. Curriculum framework ............................................................................................................ 13

3.3.2 Secondary education........................................................................................................... 15 a. Science .................................................................................................................................... 15 b. Mathematics ........................................................................................................................... 16 c. Technological stream .............................................................................................................. 18 d. English and other international languages ............................................................................. 20 e. Bilingual education .................................................................................................................. 21 f. Trilingual education ................................................................................................................ 21 g. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) ................................................................ 21 h. Technical subjects ................................................................................................................... 22 i. Agriculture ............................................................................................................................... 23 j. Commerce and business studies ............................................................................................. 24 k. Humanities ............................................................................................................................. 25 l. Physical resources and Infrastructure: establishment of Mahindodaya technological

laboratories (MTLs) ................................................................................................................. 26m. Career guidance and counselling ............................................................................................ 27

3.3.3 Crosscutting subjects (for primary and secondary education) ........................................... 27

vii

a. Mother tongue (Sinhala and Tamil) ........................................................................................ 27 b. Religious education ................................................................................................................. 28 c. Aesthetics education ............................................................................................................... 28 d. Sports and physical education ................................................................................................ 29 e. School‐based teacher development (SBTD) ............................................................................ 30 f. School‐based assessment (SBA) ...............................................................................................32

Section Four School governance and delivery of education services ....................................................................... 33 Section Five School‐level planning, monitoring and evaluation .............................................................................. 35 References ......................................................................................................................................... 37 Further reading .................................................................................................................................. 38 Annexure ........................................................................................................................................... 40

viii

List of Tables, Figures, Boxes, and Annexure Tables: Table 2.1: Intermediate outcome Indicators ......................................................................................... 4 Table 3.1: Main features and advantages of SBTD activities ............................................................... 31 Figures: Figure 2.1: Development components of secondary schools: improving learning environment ........... 7 Figure 3.1: Activities organised in the school for child development ..................................................... 8 Figure 3.2: Primary curriculum framework ........................................................................................... 14 Boxes: Box 3.1: Functions of a learning environment: Sandberg's definition .................................................. 10 Box 3.2: Why teacher development is effective when school based ................................................... 30 Box 3.3: School‐based assessment: concept and the objectives .......................................................... 32 Box 3.4: Student assessment ................................................................................................................ 32 Box 5.1: Ten good schools ..................................................................................................................... 33 Box 5.2: Why PSI has been supported .................................................................................................. 34 Annexure: Annexure 2.1: Criteria for selections of secondary schools .................................................................. 40 Annexure 3.1: National norms and criteria for provision of school facilities ........................................ 42

ix

Abbreviations ANTRIEP ‐ Asian Network of Training and Research Institutions in Educational Planning AusAID ‐ Australian Agency for International Development BOP ‐ Business Outsourcing Processes CD ‐ Capacity Development CFA ‐ Child‐Friendly Approach CFS ‐ Child‐Friendly Schools EMIS ‐ Education Management and Information System EQD ‐ Education Quality Development ESDFP ‐ Education Sector Development Framework and Programme FL ‐ First Language GCE AL ‐ General Certificate of Education, Advance Level GCE OL ‐ General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level GoSL ‐ Government of Sri Lanka ICT ‐ Information and Communication Technology MCVF ‐ Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future MoE ‐ Ministry of Education MTL ‐ Mahindodaya Technological Laboratory MYASD ‐ Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development NEC ‐ National Education Commission NVQ ‐ National Vocational Qualification PDoE ‐ Provincial Department of Education PE ‐ Primary Education PEAs ‐ Provincial Education Authorities PME ‐ Provincial Ministry of Education PPB ‐ Policy and Planning Branch PPRD ‐ Policy, Planning and Performance Review Division PSI ‐ Programme for School Improvement QA ‐ Quality Assurance SBA ‐ School‐Based Assessment SBLIG ‐ School‐Based Learning Improvement Grant SBM ‐ School‐Based Management SBTD ‐ School‐Based Teacher Development SBTDP ‐ School‐Based Teacher Development Programme SDC ‐ School Development Committee SMC ‐ School Management Committee SWAp ‐ Sector‐Wide Approach TLM ‐ Teaching and Learning Method TSEP ‐ Transforming the School Education System as the Foundation of a Knowledge Hub Project Unicef ‐ United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund ZEO ‐ Zonal Education Office

1

Section One Introduction

The national programme of transforming one thousand secondary schools and five thousand primary schools envision a fundamental change in the schools that come under Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future (2010). Transforming envisages more than reforming and will involve restructuring; altering systems of rules, roles and relationships as well as systems of beliefs, values and knowledge. This is no easy task and those involved in the transforming process will need creative thinking, not mere top‐down instructions. 1.1 Purpose of the guideline This booklet, while providing broad guidelines, does not seek to be restrictive. It does not give a set of instructions that must be followed, but indicates what is expected. Each school should take the initiative in transforming itself to achieve the objectives it has set for itself within the national framework. The booklet also provides some background information that would be of general interest not only to those within the school system but also to others who take a keen interest in education while remaining in the periphery. Parents who want to know what happens within schools, members of School Development Committees (SDCs) who actively participate in school improvement, well‐wishers who support education in innumerable ways and general public may find the contents informative and useful. 1.2 Overview This booklet contains five main sections. Section one is a short introduction which includes an overview of the contents. Section two provides the background to the national programme. After a brief reference to the Education Sector Development Framework and Programme (ESDFP) 2012‐2016, this section spells out the rationale, the vision, the mission, the objectives, outcomes, implementation framework, timeframe and the main components of the national programme of transforming schools. Section three is about ‘Improving the quality of education’, a long felt concern. Though much has been done there is much more to be done to reach expected levels. Some of the things already done are indicated in this section, and what more has to be done is discussed with an open mind, leaving the schools to be involved in creative thinking and designing their own action plans. The sub‐section on ‘leaning environment’ provides the space for reflection and analysis of what happens in each school now and for redesigning future actions. There are inputs on primary education and main subject areas of the secondary curriculum indicating national‐level expectations with a fervent hope that schools will take up the challenge of the

2

delivery of the curriculum effectively taking into account their own context. Schools are also reminded of the innovative steps already taken under school‐based management (SBM), programme for school improvement (PSI), school‐based teacher development (SBTD), school‐based assessment (SBA) and child‐friendly schools (CFS) in order to take on board the existing thinking on school improvement as they plan for the future. Section four is on school governance and service delivery. It also refers to PSI which makes provisions for SBM. Section five deals with school‐level planning, monitoring and evaluation. It has been stressed that planning and plan implementation is a responsibility of the total school community under the leadership of the principal and the school management team.

Section Two The Background

2.1 ESDFP (2012-2016) in brief

Sector-wide approach (SWAp) to education development commenced in 2005 and covered a five year span. The ESDFP (2012-2016) covers the medium-term from 2012 to 2016. The medium-term strategic plans prepared by the Ministry of Education (MoE), other national-level education institutes and provincial education authorities (PEAs) for the implementation of ESDFP (2012-2016) have three policy themes, a foundation theme and a cross-cutting activity which are indicated below: Theme 1: Promoting access to primary and secondary education; Theme 2: Improving the quality of primary and secondary education; Theme 3: Strengthening governance and delivery of education services; Foundation Theme: Medium-term education sector development strategic plan; and Cross cutting Activity: Result-based monitoring and evaluation framework (MoE, 2011).

Implementation of ESDFP (2012-2016) will be funded by the consolidated fund of the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and international development partners such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNICEF, AusAID, KOICA, GIZ and JICA. Targets and results to be reached under the medium-term framework of ESDFP (2012-2016) have been specifically identified. All development partners are also in agreement with the ESDFP (2012-2016) results framework. Table 2.1 spells out targets and the timeframe for improving learning environment of primary and secondary schools.

3

4

Table 2.1:

Interm

ediate outcome In

dicators

Interm

ediate Outcome

Indicator

Core

Unit of

measure

Baselin

e 2012

2013

2014

2015

2016

Data Source/

Methodology

and

Frequency

Responsibility for

data collection

Them

e One: P

romoting eq

uity of access to primary an

d secondary education

Flagship secondary an

d

primary school

learning en

vironmen

t im

provemen

t program

me:

Primary education:

i. Physical

developmen

t (50%)

ii. P

rovision of

materials for quality

developmen

t (25%)

iii. C

apacity building of

principals (25%)

Secondary ed

ucation:

i. Provision of

Mahindodaya

Technological

Laboratories (MTLs)

(50%)

ii. P

rovision of

equipmen

t for MTLs

(25%)

iii. A

vailability of

qualified GCE OL

science and

mathem

atics

teachers (25%)

Text

Componen

ts

of the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

iden

tified

.

At least 10

per cen

t of

the target for

the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

commen

ced.

At least 25

per cen

t of

the target for

the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

achieved.

At least 40

per cen

t of

the target for

the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

achieved.

At least 60

per cen

t of

the target for

the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

achieved.

At least 80

per cen

t of

the target for

the

secondary

and primary

school

learning

environmen

t im

provemen

t program

me

achieved.

MoE, and

PEA

records

Semi‐annual

MoE:

(Addl. Sec/PPRD,

Addl. Sec/EQ

D,

DE/PPB,

DE/Science,

DE/Mathem

atics,

DE/ICT,

DE/English, D

E/FL,

DE/PE,

DE/Aesthetics,

DE/Sports,

DE/Technical,

DE/Commerce,

DE/Agri., DE/QA),

PEA

s:

PME

PDoEs

ZEOs

Source: M

oE (2011).

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2.2 Rationale There is a felt need in the Sri Lankan education system for the establishment of a school network that provides equitable access to quality education guaranteeing the right of every child to reach his/her full potential by developing the unique skills and abilities that each child possesses. The creation of such a school system will also address such issues as:

disparities in the flow of resources to schools located in remote areas especially found in certain provinces;

low levels of achievement observed especially in some subjects and in some locations and school types;

health and nutrition problems especially associated with the influx of students to urban schools; and

over‐crowding of students in popular urban schools. The national programme for the development of 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools will take up these challenges faced by the Sri Lankan education system and provide opportunities for all children to be engaged in meaningful education which will equip them with knowledge and competencies required to take their place as successful citizens of in the global knowledge‐based economy that is facing them. 2.3 Vision 2.4 Mission

2.5 Goals

Transforming the school system with a view to linking human capital foundation to the future knowledge hub in Sri Lanka and thereby to contribute to the future global knowledge economy;

Produce Sri Lankan citizens with knowledge, attitudes, skills and values enabling them to

fulfill the requirements of a modern local and global knowledge economy.

Strengthening the public education system of Sri Lanka under the flagship programme of transforming 5,000 primary schools and 1,000 secondary schools in order to prepare the

younger generation with the skills, knowledge, attitudes and values required to be successful citizens in the global knowledge‐based economy of the future and thereby

contribute to the national goal of building the nation as a future knowledge hub of Asia.

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Improving student learning outcomes: knowledge, attitude, values, skills and specially soft skills, i.e. teamwork, communication, leadership, entrepreneurial abilities etc. required in general by society and by employers at both local and international labour markets;

Minimise gaps of procedural and distributional equity and quality of resource allocation and distribution between and within provinces and between schools; and

Ensure learning occurs in an inclusive learning environment. 2.6 Expected outcomes/results

Provision of equal opportunities for primary and secondary education.

Ensure the establishment of administrative, managerial and pedagogical practices for quality improvement of education.

Increase opportunities for access to all streams in education for students.

Increase benefits from educational investments and thereby enhance economic and social benefits through greater attention paid to schools in disadvantaged and difficult locations facing threats of closure.

Establish a system which identifies and supports students with innate and special abilities and promote humane and positive attitudes in the future generation.

Establish and maintain a transparent and accountable school administration and management system which eradicates the malpractices and corruption prevalent in the admission of students to schools.

Empower schools and school communities making schools community centres which support the economic development of the nation.

2.7 Implementation framework This programme will be implemented jointly by the MoE, all provincial councils, all Provincial Ministries of Education (PMEs) and Provincial Departments of Education (PDoEs) and all other national‐level education institutions. 2.8 Timeframe The programme will be implemented in a medium‐term framework which will cover the period 2012‐2016. During this timeframe schools to be developed will be selected in such a way to cover all Divisional Secretary Divisions (criteria for selection of schools are given in Annexure 2.1). 2.9 Main development components

Qualitative development

Physical resources and Infrastructure

Governance and Service delivery

7

Figure 2.1 shows the components for development in schools.

Figure 2.1: Development components of schools: improving learning environment

Teaching full‐curriculum; emphasis on science/math/ ICT/English and foreign

languages/aesthetics/sports/co‐curricular activities/agriculture/technical education;

functioning afterschool as a tech/vocational education centre

School Development Plan;

SBLIG; GoSL’scapital resources;

community support; PSI

implementation

Science laboratories; school library; ICT

lab with 50 computers; language

lab; math lab; commerce lab;

Distance Learning +vocational and

technical education coordination unit; career guidance and counselling unit

Fullfil teacher cadre requirements; new teachers for science & math,

ICT, English; SBTDPs.

An enabling, inclusive, student‐friendly,

learning environment; certified for health

promotion;

Management change: CD of the principal; SDC, SMC management and financial management

Mother language education and

bilingual education for secondary grades

Source: MoE (2011).

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Section Three Improving the quality of education: improving learning environment of schools 3.1 The need for a holistic approach Improving quality of education includes academic as well as practical and technical education. Attention will be paid not only to teaching and learning in the classroom but also to co‐curricular and extra‐curricular activities and special programmes such as: student camps, conferences, exposure to the world of work, remedial teaching,

explorations, and activity‐based learning

Figure 3.1 below refers to different facets of a child’s development on which the school, through curricular and co‐curricular activities, should have an impact. Figure 3.1: Activities organised in the school for child development

Source: ANTRIEP (2011:15).

Activities organised

in the schools

Academic

development

Ethical and spiritual

development

Aesthetic

development

Literacy

development

Physical

development

Constructive and creative

development Cultural

development

9

Placement of teachers, school‐based teacher development (SBTD) activities, community involvement, health and nutrition and capacity building of non‐academic staff are other aspects that will come within the scope of quality improvement. Before coming to specific subject areas we must turn to a broader area that is of general interest to all concerned with improvement of the quality of education. Sometimes we become desperate when we analyse cost‐benefit aspects. So much has been done, but outcome seems to be so little. A great deal of money is spent on infrastructure, training, curriculum development and salaries but what is the net result? The result is seen ultimately at the school level where teachers and pupils interact. This interaction should lead to learning; learning not only to pass examinations, but to live as useful citizens in one’s country as well as in the wider global setting. Learning takes place not only inside classrooms but in the larger spaces outside the classroom too. This involves:

the playground,

the school garden,

activity areas,

the home,

the community. Could schools create learning environments for students wherever they are engaged in learning? The next sub‐section will help you to understand the importance of good learning environments which will make schools centres of learning.

OUR AIM IS TOTAL DEVELOPMENT OF THE CHILD AND THIS REQUIRES A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO EDUCATION.

SCHOOLS WILL BE CENTERS OF LEARNING WHERE SELF‐LEARNING IS ENCOURAGED. TEACHERS ARE FACILITATORS.

3.2 Learning environment Schools are essentially centres of learning. Learning is an active process and those involved in learning do so because they want to learn. Thus it is essential for every school to provide a good learning environment which facilitates and promotes learning, not only by students but by all who belong to the school community. Learning environment has been described as “the sum of the internal and external circumstances and influences surrounding and affecting a person’s learning”. Conceptually speaking it refers to the whole range of components and activities within which learning takes place.

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The 1,000 secondary schools and the 5,000 primary schools to be developed may get the best of physical facilities, but that will not make them centres of active learning. School communities including school‐heads, teachers, parents and other stakeholders have to do much more to create and sustain good learning environments in their schools. School is not only a physical space; it is also a social space where relationships are important. It is well known that teacher‐pupil relationships play a vital role in the learning process. In schools where learning is regimented, homogenous and based on rewards and threats, curiosity and interest may not find a place in learning. In such an environment learning will become passive, not active; and the emphasis will be on teaching, not learning. Other relationships that are important to create and sustain a good learning environment in a school include teacher‐teacher relationship, pupil‐pupil relationship, teacher‐parent relationship, and the relationship that the school administration develops with other stakeholders. Box 3.1 is an extract from an article on functions of a learning environment where the writer refers to 6 components that should receive the attention of those concerned with creating healthy learning environments in their institutions. The six components are:

teacher who “provides information from the syllabus to the next task level”.

monitor who “ensures that something is learned”.

fellow learner who “improves the learning process”.

learning material “which contains what has to be learned”.

external information sources: All kinds of information which is not directly stored in the learning material (e.g. additional material, handbooks, manuals, etc.).

tools: everything which may help the learning process other than the learning material (e.g. calculators, communication software, etc.).

We should examine how these components function in our schools and see whether they are maximally used to promote active learning (see Box 3.1).

Box 3.1: Functions of a learning environment: Sandberg's definition

1. Teacher component: Its role is to provide something between loose guidance and direct instruction. It can be a human agent (present or distant), an intelligent agent, instructions like some textbooks provide, etc. This component provides information from the syllabus to the task level.

2. Monitor component: Ensures that something is learned. A role taken by either the human teacher, the learner (self‐control) or by some program.

3. Fellow learner component: Improves the learning process (some research tries to implement artificial ones).

4. Learning material, often courseware: Contains what has to be learned in a very broad sense (knowing what, knowing how). It can be computational in various ways (exploratory hypertext, lesson and task oriented hypertext, simulation software, task solving environments, etc.).

5. External information sources: All kinds of information which is not directly stored in the learning material (e.g. additional material, handbooks, manuals, etc.).

6. Tools: Everything which may help the learning process other than the learning material (e.g. calculators, communication software, etc.) (Sandberg, 1994).

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Modern day writers also refer to virtual learning environment or managed learning environment which includes computers and internet in the learning process. In the developed schools these facilities are available and the making use of these facilities for the benefit of all students is discussed elsewhere in this chapter, under a special heading (cf. section 3.3.2: ICT).

In schools where there are good learning environments motivation to learn will be very high among all students.

Teachers will not only be experts in their subject matter but will also be knowledgeable

about child psychology and behavioural aspects of children. They will know that unless they can inspire and motivate students, much of their efforts to teach will be wasted.

Thus we see that in creating good learning environments physical as well as human aspects are important. If your school has a good learning environment, any person entering your school premises will notice this straight away. There will be something to learn in the way the garden is kept, directions provided, cleanliness, the labelling of items, the movement of people, the communication systems, the maintenance of buildings and equipment and management of the school. What we try to teach in a classroom can be augmented by the environment in which learning takes place. This is specially so in the affective domain of learning where, as the saying goes, things are ‘caught rather than taught’. 3.3 Delivery of the curriculum We will now turn to the delivery of the curriculum. As the curriculum content and teacher guides on teaching methodology (syllabi, student textbooks, student workbooks where needed, teacher instructional manual (TIMs) etc.) are provided to schools at the beginning of each year these aspects are not discussed in this booklet.

It is mandatory that all curriculum material is provided to schools on time. Principals will work with relevant officers to ensure that student textbooks, teacher instruction manuals (TIMs) and other relevant teaching and learning material reach the students and teachers well ahead of the date on which teaching is to commence so that preparation can take place.

What is discussed here relates more to the learning environment that has to be created in the teaching of each subject. The maximum use of the physical environment provided and the creativity and initiative of teachers, principals and the rest of the school community are important in the effective delivery of the curriculum. The delivery of the curriculum is discussed under three sub headings:

3.3.1 Primary education. 3.3.2 Secondary education. 3.3.3 Crosscutting areas for primary and secondary education.

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3.3.1 Primary education

a. Child‐friendly approach (CFA)

The development of 5,000 primary schools will be based on the CFS concept designed by the primary education branch of the MoE with the assistance of Unicef and AusAID. The concept recognises the universal declaration of child rights and emphasises the fact that every child has a right to education.

Six dimensions have been identified for the promotion of child friendliness:

rights‐based and proactively inclusive;

gender responsive;

improving children’s learning outcomes;

healthy, safe and protective of children;

actively engaged with students, families and communities; and

supported by child‐friendly systems, policies, practices and regulations. Each dimension is further illustrated with a set of criteria. Details are found in several publications of the Primary Education Branch of the Ministry of Education (MoE) on CFS concept. Principals, teachers, parents and others involved in primary education should be sensitive to the needs of a primary school child. They should also be conversant with the rights of children and rules and regulations on this subject. It is the primary school child that enters the secondary cycle. Unless the primary child masters the competencies identified as essential for the primary stage, smooth transfer to the next stage is hindered. A child starting the secondary

Primary education

13

stage with such disadvantages will experience frustration and will develop negative attitudes to learning. Such children will ultimately drop out of school, becoming a burden to the country. The 5,000 schools to be developed under this programme should ensure that these schools are child‐friendly where learning is a joyful experience. All children going through these schools should reach their full potential by developing their unique skills and abilities. b. Curriculum framework A graphical presentation of the curriculum framework is shown in Box 3.2. The primary stage consists of three key stages:

Key stage ‐ 1 ‐ Grades 1 and 2

Key stage ‐ 2 ‐ Grades 3 and 4

Key stage ‐ 3 ‐ Grade 5 The curriculum is competency‐based. A ‘competency’ is defined as ‘a combination of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values’ (NEC, 2000). The competencies identified relate to:

communication;

personality development;

the environment;

preparation for world of work;

ethics and religion;

play and leisure; and

learn to learn. Schools will use the subjects listed and the co‐curricular activities planned to ensure mastery in essential competencies of each key stage. In the teaching and learning of subjects play will play a dominant role in key stage 1 while activity and deskwork will gradually replace play as the child proceeds to key stage 5. While English as a subject is taught from key stage 2, activity‐based oral English is used throughout the primary level to encourage students to use English in conversation. TIMs provided to schools give further details on the delivery of the primary curriculum.

14

Figure 3.2:

Primary curriculum framework

Grade 3

Grade 5

M

ode of instruction

Grade 1

Grade 5

Personality development Learn to learn Preparation to world of

work

Mathematics

Ensure attainment of mastery in essential competencies of KS 3

Key stage 3

First national language

English

Second national language

Religion

Activity‐based oral English Environment

related

activities

Optional

curriculum to

cater for learner

interests and

needs

Co‐curricular activity

Grade 4

Mathematics



Key stage 2


English

Second national language

Religion

Activity‐based oral English

Environment

related

activities


Key stage 1

Grade 1

Grade 2


Mathematics

Religion

Activity‐based oral English

Environment

related

activities

Interaction with

elder children

from Grade 6


Identification of children

ENVIRONMENT PLAY & LEISURE COMMUNICATION ETHICS & RELIGION

Play

Activity

Deskwork

15

3.3.2 Secondary education The secondary curriculum focuses on the need to be aware of the world of work. Schools will set their own targets to increase the number of students qualifying for science and technical streams after completing GCE OL. Schools will make maximum use of facilities provided under Mahindodaya Technological Laboratories (MTLs) and other facilities will provide students with practical experience in the subjects they learn. Further, schools are required to take necessary actions to increase the percentage of enrolments for GCE AL science, commerce and technological streams and simultaneously decrease the percentage of enrolment for arts stream in order to provide knowledge and skills required for the world of work. a. Science The developed secondary schools will provide all facilities for teaching and learning of science as scientific knowledge and skills are vital when preparing students to face the challenges of a knowledge economy. Each school will have a good learning environment for science education making the school a resource centre for this purpose. At national level every effort is taken to maintain a high teacher‐pupil ratio for teaching of science and to provide the required higher‐order learning spaces. Section 3.3.2(l) on physical resources and Infrastructure provides more information on laboratory facilities and other physical resources to be provided in the MTLs for teaching of science and other technical subjects.

The national programme has set following targets for science education:

to increase the number of schools having GCE AL science stream to 1,200 in 2015.

to increase the number of secondary schools having science laboratories to 3,000 in 2015.

Secondary education

16

to increase the percentage of students in GCE AL science and technological streams to 40 per cent within one year from the existing 22 per cent.

to create educational opportunities in universities and other professional and technical education institutes for approximately 100,000 students completing GCE AL science and technology enabling them to enter the job market in technical and production fields.

Each school will work towards the achievement of national targets by setting its own targets to:

enrol more students in the science stream;

increase the pass rate in science at GCE OL and GCE AL examinations; and

make adequate use of science laboratories by increasing practical work in science. Schools should also work out their own monitoring and evaluation programmes so that issues will be addressed as they come rather than wait for examination results to discover such issues. Remedial work should be undertaken to address learning problems of slow learners and others requiring extra attention.

ACTIONS TO BE TAKEN AT SCHOOL LEVEL:

Principals and teachers will work collectively with parents and community to provide a rich learning environment for science education in each school.

Children will be encouraged to undertake their own projects and surveys applying their scientific knowledge and skills in practical situations.

Schools will make every effort to enrol more students in science streams and to increase pass rates at public examinations.

School will act as a resource centres not only for their own students but also for students in surrounding schools which may not have the same physical facilities.

School will have strong on‐going monitoring programmes and will take corrective action where needed enabling timely interventions in order to keep to set targets.

b. Mathematics Mathematics provides a variety of skills which could be transferred to successful learning of all other subjects. Facilities for learning mathematics will be provided in all schools and learning of mathematics will be made a joyful experience. In secondary schools focus will be on increasing pass‐rates at GCE OL and GCE AL as failure in this subject prevents access to higher education. Good passes will enable student to join science and other technical streams at GCE AL providing greater avenues in the world of work. National plan provides for setting up of special mathematical laboratories with modern teaching and learning equipment in all secondary schools. School plans will provide activities for qualitative improvement of teaching of mathematics. This could include special projects and remedial activities.

17

Given below are some suggestions that schools may find useful in creating a good learning environment:

Establish an Education Management Information System (EMIS) for Mathematics which will include student information, national‐ and provincial‐level achievements that could be compared with school achievements, teacher information, resource person information, SBA findings etc.;

Programmes for slow learners and gifted children;

School‐based teacher development programmes (SBTDPs);

Competitions, conferences and exhibitions and other creative activities;

Parent day programmes on creating awareness of parental support at home.


Activities to improve mathematical skills of all pupils.

Programmes to improve examination results in mathematics.

Teacher development activities under SBTD.

Parental awareness programmes.

Remedial teaching and activities for slow learners.

Establishment of database in mathematics under EMIS.

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c. Technological stream In 2013, the technological stream has been introduced for GCE AL grades in order to improve the technical competencies of students which are required by future knowledge‐based societies. This programme will be implemented collaboratively with the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development (MYASD). The MYASD will be involved for the facilitating the supply of technical teachers, provision of learning spaces for technological practical and trainings, and marking schemes for practical work Initially, in 2013, technological stream will be introduced in GCE AL grades of 248 schools. In order to implement this programme at school level, it is required to provide human resources and physical and infrastructure facilities. It has been planned to provide technological laboratories and relevant facilities for these laboratories of respective schools. Objectives of the introduction of technological stream are to:

develop knowledge and skills of future young generation to match the needs of the world of work;

provide basic technical skills which are required for day‐to‐day life;

provide opportunities for students to qualify to enter technological streams at universities and other technological institutions and even if they fail to enter such institutions equip them with skills for jobs ( equivalent to level111 of NVQ); and

produce students with skills to find technological solutions to problems in the real world.

19

Subjects under the technology stream:

Subjects under the technology stream

1. Engineering Technology (Theory and

training of Civil, Mechanical and

Electrical technological sciences).

2. Science for Technology (Theory and

training required for Chemistry,

Physics, Biology, ICT and

Mathematics).

3. Subject selected from 10

recommended subjects*

1. Bio‐Systems Technology (Concepts

and training of Food, Post harvest,

Agriculture, and Bio‐resource

technologies)

2. Science for Technology (Theory and

training required for Chemistry,

Physics, Biology, ICT and

Mathematics).

3. Selected a subject out of 10

optional subjects*

*Recommended subjects: 1. Economics 6. Information and Communication Technology 2. Geography 7. Arts 3. Home Economics 8. Business Studies 4. English 9. Agriculture 5. Communication and Media Studies 10. Accountancy


Parents and school community should work closely for establishment of learning environment

to suit teaching technological subjects in the school.

Conduct awareness programmes for parents on technological stream.

Provide information on future labour market opportunities for students who are following

technological stream and provide opportunities to work collaboratively with relevant agencies

and institutions.

Increase number of students following the technological stream and improve examination

results of students.

Implement pilot programmes to achieve the objectives of this programme through necessary

interventions.

Implement promotional programmes for improving students’ knowledge, skills through

different projects and innovation.

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d. English and other international languages English and other foreign languages that enable students to be in touch with the global economy will receive a strong emphasis in the school curriculum. Teachers competent to teach such subjects will be appointed to schools giving priority to subjects with a high demand in the international job market. Modern teaching methodology will be used in the teaching of these subjects. Schools will be provided with language laboratories and other modern technical facilities. Following targets have been set:

Establishing 1,000 language laboratories within the MTLs facilitating the teaching of English and other foreign languages;

Ensuring that at least three schools in every Divisional Secretary area has a fully equipped language laboratory providing opportunities for the learning of foreign languages such as English, French, German, Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Hindi, which have a demand globally; and

Providing at least 300,000 students with proficiency in one or more selected foreign language enabling them to enter the global job market.

Teaching of English and selected foreign languages should continue in all schools with a greater emphasis on student performance. The school environment should facilitate this learning. Once the school receives teachers and other physical facilities for the teaching of one or more other foreign languages the school should make maximum use of the opportunity afforded and provide the students the competencies needed to enter the world of work with confidence.

21


Provide opportunities for students to learn selected international languages. Obtain services of competent persons in the school community.

Make maximum use of the language laboratories set up under MTL.

Provide for teacher development through different avenues available.

Create opportunities for active learning and expose students to world of work when possible

e. Bilingual education

Implementation of bilingual education programmes for selected subjects is one of the major programmes in these schools. Therefore, actions have been taken to provide the required human and physical facilities for bilingual education. f. Trilingual education

Attention has been drawn to promote social harmony, peace, cooperation and mutual understanding among different ethnic groups living in this country. Therefore, actions have been taken to promote trilingual education (Sinhala, Tamil and English) in the school system. Knowledge of all three languages will promote social integration, peace, mutual understanding and respect and as such the developing secondary schools will have to play a key role in this regard. This is one of the major programmes recommended by the LLRC. Under this background, facilities both human and physical will be provided for secondary schools to implement trilingual education policy.

g. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Information technology is a subject that receives high priority in the programme to develop 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools. Targets set for ICT at national level are:

Student literacy: 90%.

Teacher literacy: 95%.

Literacy for IT teachers: 100%. Recruitment of qualified teachers to teach ICT has already been done and the secondary schools are to be provided with ICT laboratories with 40 computers and other accessories, which will include internet and e‐mail facilities. MTLs to be set up in all divisional secretary divisions will facilitate a minimum of 200,000 students per year to have access to higher/ technical education. These students will be able compete in ICT related jobs in the global job market making use of Business Outsourcing Process (BOP). The provision of physical facilities and other infrastructure for development of ICT education will be phased out. Individual schools will work in this backdrop providing a healthy learning environment in their own schools to encourage the use of IT in the teaching and learning of all

22

subjects. The heads of schools should adopt ICT in school management and maintain a central computer network for administrative and educational purposes. A database could be maintained at each class level with student achievements and other information of individual students. Each school can create and maintain its own website providing access to information regarding the school to parents and others interested. Teachers should be provided required knowledge and skills and such skills should be continuously updated. Participation of parents and the community in the development of ICT education in schools is essential for creating and maintaining a healthy learning environment in schools.


Develop school‐level plans to ensure that all students get exposed to IT education.

Develop teacher skills to use IT facilities effectively in teaching and learning.

Maintain a central computer network for educational and administrative purposes.

Create and maintain a school web‐site.

Obtain parent and community participation in the ICT programme.

h. Technical subjects Teaching of technical subjects will be facilitated in the MTLs. Physical spaces and other resources will be provided and qualified teachers will be recruited. Schools could also make use of resources available in their communities. Prominent persons in the field of technology could be invited to schools and visits could be arranged to industrial plants and workshops taking due care of safety. Entrepreneurship, new inventions and student initiative and creativity should be encouraged at all times. Students and parents could be provided with information on job opportunities available in this field, especially after obtaining National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) and B.Tech degree.


Ensure that practical aspects are emphasized.

Make use of physical facilities provided.

Direct students to develop entrepreneurship and technical skills

Encourage attitudes such as dignity of labour.

Make use of community resources.

23

i. Agriculture Two subjects that can be offered for GCE OL are:

Agriculture and Food Technology

Fisheries and Food Technology Science and Arts stream students of GCE AL can offer Agricultural as a subject while Arts stream students can offer the following subjects:

Food Technology

Agricultural Technology

Bio‐resources Technology

Teacher development activities could be conducted with the help of NIE, PDoE, Zonal Education Offices (ZEOs) and the Department of Agriculture.


Involve students in practical activities for beautification of the school garden, using school garden for cultivation of fruits and vegetables under the “green school” concept and using vertical space for cultivation when garden space is not available;

Establish a school farm with the help of the community. Here the students will not only develop practical skills but also learn about soil conservation, water management and making organic fertiliser;

Maintain a school database for agriculture education and using it in planning and implementing agriculture programmes.

Obtain the help of the resource persons in the community. Emphasise on‐going teacher development.

24

The concept: green school programme This helps schools to audit their use of resources and map their consumption and wastage. It’s designed as a tool to help school communities to audit the use of natural resources within their school premise. It provides the methodology to access themselves as environmental managers. It will help each member of the school community to understand the scope and significance of his or her role in suitable use of natural resources. The exercise involves collection of information under the following heads:

‐ Water; ‐ Air; ‐ Land; ‐ Energy; ‐ Waste.

Reduce, reuse, recycling concept is used to conserve the resource and protect the environment in this project.

j. Commerce and business studies There is a big demand in the job market for skills and knowledge provided under Commerce and Business Studies. Hence subjects such as Commerce, Business Studies, Statistics and Economics should be taught with emphasis on theoretical as well as practical knowledge. Competent teachers and physical facilities will be provided in schools for this purpose. Schools should also make use of opportunities that come up from external sources. In‐house teacher development activities would be fruitful as they address specific and immediate needs. National targets include:

providing Commerce and Business Studies streams in 2,000 secondary schools by year 2015.

increasing the percentage of students in this stream at GCE AL to 35 per cent from the present 25 per cent.

making employment available to these students in fields such as Banking, Accountancy, Trade and Commerce and Insurance.


Expose students to the world of business and commerce.

Use resource persons from the community to share experiences.

Make a directory of employment opportunities available in the world of business and commerce and make it available to teachers and students.

Have awareness programmes for parents.

Provide for continuous teacher development.

25

k. Humanities

Under Humanities a whole range of subjects is covered and teaching them effectively is important for a number of reasons. The subjects covered include:

History.

Geography.

Political Science.

Logic and Scientific Method.

Life Competencies and Civic Education.

Citizenship Education and Civics. Effective teaching of these subjects will bring about an awareness of the national heritage and ethical values based on long respected traditions. Some of the competencies to be developed are:

investigative skills;

ability to explore the past in order to understand the present and make decisions for the future;

analytical and problem solving skills;

appreciate and respect national identity;

understand and appreciate other cultures;

live in harmony with nature; and

live as responsible citizens.


Provide opportunities for active learning such as exploration and field trips. Make use of professional persons outside the school for enrichment of learning.

Create a good learning environment in school by having special spaces for exhibition of models, collections etc.

Provide ongoing teacher development activities.

Provide for parental involvement.

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26

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27

agriculture and home science will receive priority. These schools will be provided with sufficient capital funds and physical resources for the enhancement of good learning environments. Other basic requirements that will be cared for are health and sanitation facilities, drinking water, playgrounds, administration blocks, accommodation for teachers and principals and hostels for students where residential facilities are needed. Needs of students with physical disabilities will be taken care of when designing access to buildings. Electricity and communication facilities (telephones, e‐mail etc) will be provided. National norms and criteria for the provision of infrastructure facilities for schools are given in Annexure 3.1. m. Career guidance and counselling Students in secondary schools will require guidance and counselling with a special focus on career‐guidance. Guidance with regard to job opportunities, courses which provide qualification for such jobs, opportunities in the field of higher education, selection of subjects to suit higher education programmes, preparing applications and facing interviews are some of the areas that could receive attention under career guidance. Schools will be provided with qualified teachers for career guidance and counselling. Business leaders and other competent persons from the wider community could also be invited to schools for special programmes. 3.3.3 Crosscutting subjects (for primary and secondary education) a. Mother tongue (Sinhala and Tamil) Mother tongue is an important and a compulsory subject in the school curriculum and every effort is being made to improve the language learning skills. The establishment of language laboratories in schools will provide opportunities to use modern technology to master these skills. At school level adequate steps will be taken to develop a good learning environment for the learning of the mother tongue paying special attention to the mastery of the four skills‐ listening, speaking, reading and writing. Resource persons in the community could be used profitably and adequate reading material should be made available in school libraries. Students should be encouraged to contribute to magazines, wall‐papers, newspapers and where relevant to such magazines as “Nuwana” and “Koormani” and these newspapers and magazines should be made available in the school library. Teacher competencies to teach languages will be continually upgraded, especially under the SBTD.

Crosscutting subjects

28


Develop activities for mastery of language skills, especially listening, speaking, reading and writing.

Arrange in‐school teacher development activities under SBTD.

Enlist support of competent resource persons from the community.

Make adequate reading material available to the students in the school/classroom libraries and inculcate reading habit.

Encourage students to contribute articles to children’s magazines and newspapers.

Make the school environment conducive to language development.

Make the best use of language laboratories that are to be set up in schools.

b. Religious education Religious education is important for promotion of values and establishing high ethical standards among students. Religion should be an instrument to build peace and harmony in the country; to unite people, not divide. Schools can play an important role in the achieving of these objectives. Apart from teaching in the classroom the total school environment will promote values and ethical behaviour.


Involve students in activities that reinforce religious values and ethical behaviour.

Obtain parental support for such activities.

Obtain support of religious dignitaries and other knowledgeable persons in the community in planning and implementing religious education.

Arrange teacher development activities within the school and when necessary with other schools in your locality.

Make the physical and social environment of the school conducive to the learning of values promoted in religious education.

c. Aesthetics education Teaching aesthetic subjects is important to enrich the skills in the affective domain which will contribute to the total development of students. Each student should be exposed to at least one aesthetic subject. Qualified teachers and physical resources will be provided to schools to teach subjects such as Art, Dancing (Kandyan, Low Country, Sabaragamuwa, Bharatha etc.) and Music (Oriental and Western). Schools should make use of interschool competitions conducted at different levels to develop skills and create enthusiasm. Parental and community involvement in these activities will generate much support for these activities.

29

d. Sports and physical education Sports and physical education contribute greatly to the creation of healthy bodies and healthy minds. Students acquire many social skills and leadership competencies while engaged in group activities in the playing field and elsewhere. Facilities for sports and physical education will be provided in the schools developed under this programme. These will include facilities for indoor as well as outdoor sports and schools are required to make use of these facilities. Students should be encouraged to take part in at least two sports activities. A wide variety of such activities in the school will provide students opportunities to select what is suitable for them. Self discipline should be stressed in all situations. Support of parents and other external resource persons will be a great asset in the development of sports in schools.

30

e. School‐based teacher development (SBTD) Programme for School Improvement (PSI) currently implemented in schools will support all initiatives for school improvement including teacher development activities. SBTD will play a vital role in the schools under the development of 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools and planning and implementation of these activities will be entirely school based. Experience elsewhere has shown that teacher development is most effective when school based as schools are unique with their own environment, resources and aspirations. Thus teacher needs will vary from school to school and can be best addressed at individual school level. Schools have already been sent instructions on SBTD and further guidance will follow. There are several reasons highlighted in the literature why teacher development (TD) and support activities are most effective when school based (Shrestha, 2005): Box 3.2: Why teacher development is effective when school based

a) Each school is unique with its own environment, resources and aspirations; b) Teachers’ needs vary, requiring a unique mix of teacher development activities that are

convenient and relevant to their needs; c) Instructional improvement, particularly to improve student learning, could be enhanced by

promoting effective interactions and teaching learning strategies suitable to the learning styles and pace of students on the relevant school; and

d) Teacher development activities and support that are practical and relevant to the conditions of a school are likely to be fully implemented and sustained (World Bank & MoE, 2012a:1‐2).

When teacher development is school‐based teachers become involved in the process of planning and implementing activities to enrich their knowledge, improve their skills and become more efficient in the job. Six types of SBTD activities are presented below for schools to consider when planning their in‐school teacher development programmes. Schools may think of many others. Each school will decide what is best in its own context. Activities presented are: a. demonstration lessons; b. peer coaching; c. teaching and learning materials (TLMs) preparation/usage; d. school‐based mentoring; e. individual consultations; and f. regular group teacher meetings. Table 3.1 shows the main features and advantages of these activities.

31

Table 3.1: Main features and advantages of SBTD activities

Type of Activity

Demonstration lesson/ visit to

other classroom

Peer coaching TLMs

preparation/usage

School‐based mentoring

Individual consultations

Regular group teacher meetings

Main features

Facilitating a lesson with a live class (with students). Discussion about the observations normally takes place.

Facilitating a lesson with teacher colleagues (without students). It helps each other improve their instructional abilities

Demonstrating the preparation/usage of TLMs without students

More experienced teachers mentoring to less experienced teachers

Individual consultations between the teacher and another teacher colleagues

Teacher meeting, either by grade level or subject

Advantages

Ability to see students’ reaction, level of understanding and way of thinking. Ability to observe excellent teachers.

Teachers can learn better from their teacher colleagues

Ability to construct TLMs and try something new. Ability to learn how to develop further ideas and skills by using TLMs.

Less experienced teachers can learn better from experienced teachers to discuss problems, new ideas, and resources, give demonstration lessons, and discuss the teaching and planning

Teachers can receive instructional and classroom management ideas

Ability to discuss current classroom problems and alternative solution, and to share resource ideas. It also enables teachers to discuss on disciplined work ethic for improvement of soft skills.

Source: Allemano et al. (2011), World Bank (2011) in World Bank & MoE (2012a).

Further references: Ministry of Education (2013) Guidebook on school‐based teacher development

(SBTD). Ministry of Education (2013) Guidebook on programme for school improvement.

32

f. School‐based assessment (SBA) SBA has been practiced in schools for some time now and schools will further strengthen its implementation under this programme. Continuous assessment of learning at classroom level enables teachers to take timely remedial action so that no student will be left behind in the education process. Summative evaluation conducted at the end of courses may not provide an opportunity to take such timely remedial action as gaps in the learning of the student is revealed too late. Also examinations conducted under artificial conditions do not give a fair chance to students for several proven reasons. SBA is accepted worldwide as a reliable and a useful mechanism to assess student learning while providing the teacher with the opportunity to take timely remedial action. More information on the concept and objectives of SBA are given in Box 3.3.

Box 3.3: School‐based assessment: concept and the objectives

SBA: The concept: It is a process aimed at developing a balanced personality in the students. In order to lead them on to expected mastery levels, teachers have to identify abilities and inabilities, help them and work along with them in learning tasks carried out in the classroom. It is a process that leads to the development of each student and not a process of comparing students according to levels of intelligence or placing them in order of abilities. SBA: Objectives:

Improve students’ learning process,

Improve teachers’ teaching process,

Improve assessment process in order to make teaching and learning more efficient and effective,

Transform the school system from an evaluation culture to an assessment culture (NIE, 1999).

Box 3.4 below shows how assessment differs from evaluation.

Box 3.4: Student assessment

Ideally the assessment process informs the teacher and the learner about learner progress and at the same time, contributes to the learning process. In theory, good assessment:

measures meaningful learning outcomes; does so in a fair, reliable, accurate way; is easy to administer, score, and interpret; informs the teacher about student performance and how they are interpreting course

experiences; results in meaningful feedback to the learner; and is itself a learning experience.

Source: Michigan State University, Learn DAT Teaching and Learning Website.

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Section Four

School governance and delivery of education services

“In my opinion education systems are transformed in two ways: by introducing changes to the structure and the framework of the system, and through the leadership of individuals who work within the system” [Perera W.J. referring to Walasbedda School (APCEIU, 2009)].

The role of the school principal has been identified as crucial in effecting change in his or her institution. Today the term ‘school leader’ is preferred to the terms such as head or principal as it sums up the task accurately. Providing leadership to diverse groups such as students, teachers, parents and other stakeholders is no easy task and requires diverse skills. They should possess not only administrative and financial skills but also ‘people skills’, enabling them to lead students, teachers, parents and the school community towards a common goal. Charles Handy (1988) referring to Ten Good Schools examined by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate in Britain underlines the importance of leadership skills of school‐heads (Box 5.1). Box 5.1: Ten good schools

“What they all have in common is effective leadership and a climate conducive for growth… Emphasis is laid on consultation, teamwork and participation but, without exception, the most important single factor in the success of these schools is the quality of leadership of the head. Without exception, the heads have qualities of imagination and vision, tempered by realism, which have enabled them to sum up not only their present situation but also attainable future goals. They appreciate the need for specific educational aims, both social and intellectual, and have the capacity to communicate these to staff, pupils and parents, to win their assent and to put their own policies to practice. Their sympathetic understanding of staff and pupils, their accessibility, good humour and sense of proportion, and their dedication to their task has won them the respect of parents, teachers and taught” (Ten Good Schools 1977 in Handy Charles, 1988).

School governance will revolve round the Programme for School Improvement (PSI) already introduced to these schools. Under PSI there will be School Development Committees (SDCs) and School Management Committees (SMCs) to assist the principals. Schools have already been provided with instructions on setting up of these bodies and their functions. Principals should ensure that they function effectively and get the maximum assistance to make schools learning communities. Principals of these schools should be good leaders bringing together diverse groups of people in a common initiative to improve the school. Some of the key competencies and skills needed by school principals functioning as heads of PSI schools have been identified (World Bank & MoE, 2012b). They include:

inspiring, facilitating and guiding SDCs;

34

advising, motivating and managing SMCs;

providing academic leadership for SDCs and SMCs;

advising, guiding and overseeing the planning, administration, budgeting, financial management and monitoring work of SMCs and SMCs;

team building skills;

communication skills; and

conflict resolution and negotiation skills.

School principals will be provided with leadership training in order to implement this programme successfully. There are a variety of reasons as to why the PSI has been supported by policy makers and stakeholders (Kellaghan, 2011; World Bank– FTI Secretariat, 2011).

Box 5.2: Why PSI has been supported

a. The PSI is democratic as it empowers the various education partners and stakeholders. When parents and community members are involved, it contributes to their commitment and empowerment.

b. The PSI facilitates the recognition of, and responsiveness to, local needs. Large bureaucracies could tend to overlook peripheral needs and ignore ethnic, linguistic and regional cultural variation, while the PSI allows local decision makers to adapt education policies to local realities and to determine the appropriate mix of inputs and prudent use of school, local, and regional level resources. SBM has the potential to lead to a more effective educational delivery.

c. The PSI can lead to improved communication between stakeholders, and facilitate principals’ awareness of teacher and parent concerns.

d. The PSI can result in greater accountability of schools and teachers to their pupils, parents and local communities.

e. The PSI provides for group decision making, which tends to be more considered than decisions made by individuals.

f. The PSI can contribute to the development of high levels of professionalism in schools. g. The PSI can ultimately lead to improved student retention and learning. h. Training (when provided) for parents and other stakeholders in shared decision‐making,

interpersonal skills, and management proficiency can benefit the community as a whole. i. The development of the PSI is relatively inexpensive as it involves a change in locus of decision‐

making rather than a large increase in resources (World Bank & MoE, 2012b).

Under PSI the government will provide a grant to schools to improve education outcomes. It is expected that schools will use these funds to improve student learning as well as for initiatives to strengthen the “soft skills” of students such as team work, an industrious and disciplined work ethic, good communication skills, leadership and enterprise, that are in demand by employers.

Further references: Ministry of Education (2013) Guidebook on programme for school improvement.

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Section Five School‐level planning, monitoring and evaluation

Under the national plan for the development of 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools each school is required to develop its institutional plan with the participation of its own community. This will require a great deal of deliberation at the school level, analysing its strengths and weaknesses, the aspirations of the school community, the resources at its command and the resources it can generate. Ideally the school will map out where it wants to be in the next 3 to 5 years in terms of:

physical resources,

examinations results,

sports and co‐curricular activities,

aesthetics education and character building. It will also map out how these goals will be reached and a timeframe. What, when, how, who and why are some of the questions that will come up regularly during the planning process. School‐level planning is sometimes described as a process by which each school identifies and analyses its strengths and weaknesses and thereby develops specific objectives leading to the preparation of a course of action to achieve its objectives. Thus at the very outset it is important to make a situational analysis which would lead to a diagnosis of the school. The diagnosis will reveal the problems which are to be addressed by the school plan. It is important that school plans follow a certain structure so that they can be consolidated at divisional, zonal, provincial and national levels. This will help in budgeting as well as monitoring. Such a structure will normally include a vision statement, a mission statement, goals and objectives and an implementation plan. Schools will be provided with specific guidelines about the preparation of their school plans.

Further references: Policy and Planning Branch, Ministry of Education (2013) Guidelines for

School‐Level Planning. Ministry of Education (2013) Circular No. 07/2013 dated November 28,

2013, Circular and handbook on Planning and procurement for school‐based

qualitative, quantitative and structural development.

Monitoring the implementation is important in order to find out whether the school is moving in the intended direction. Collection of data at given intervals is important for the monitoring function. This will require formats; and data could be presented in visual form so that they will serve as indicators. Some indicators normally used are ratios, percentages, statistical tables, graphs and flow charts. It should be possible to prepare a database at school level to store the information collected. Evaluation differs from monitoring as it gives a value judgement. Monitoring may permit mid‐course correction while evaluation may lead to redesigning. Schools should therefore monitor

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the implementation of their plans continuously and take corrective actions when required. Mid‐year and end‐of‐year evaluation will show the short comings which are to be addressed in the next phase. The rolling plan concept will be useful to take on board lessons learnt in previous plans and plan the next year more realistically. Schools will be provided with detailed instructions on school‐level planning, monitoring and evaluation. School principals will work with SDCs, SMCs and school communities to ensure that these activities will contribute to the development of their schools under the national programme for the development of 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools.

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References Allemano E.N. et. al. (2011) Teacher Development and Management, Washington DC: World Bank, processed

ANTRIEP (October 2011) Making School Successful, Module 3: National University of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi

Handy Charles B. (1988) Understanding Organizations, Penguin

Kellaghan T. (2011) School‐based and home and community‐based learning improvement initiatives, Mimeo

Michigan State University, Learn DAT Teaching and Learning Website

Ministry of Education (2011) National Strategic Plan for the General Education Sector (2012‐2016), Education Sector Development Framework and Programme (2012‐2016): Human Capital Foundation for a Knowledge Economy: Transforming the School Education System, Battaramulla: MoE.

Ministry of Education (2013) Guidebook on programme for school improvement, Battaramulla: MoE

Ministry of Education (2013) Guideline on school‐based teacher development, Battaramulla: MoE

Ministry of Education (2013) Circular No. 07/2013 dated November 28, 2013, Circular and handbook on Planning and procurement for school‐based qualitative, quantitative and structural development

National Education Commission, Sri Lanka: (2000) Guidelines for Implementation of the Primary Education Reform (May, 2000)

National Institute of Education, Maharagama (1999) School‐Based Assessment Programme, Exemplar Assessment Tools, English Language, NIE

Perera W.J. (2009) Walasbedda School: One Individual Makes a Difference, Sanseng, No. 2699, APCEIU, UNESCO

Policy and Planning Branch, Ministry of Education (2012) Concept paper on development of 1,000 secondary schools

Policy and Planning Branch, Ministry of Education (2013) Guidelines for School‐Level Planning

Sandberg J.A. (1994) Educational Paradigms: Issues and Trends in Mandelsohn (Eds.) Lessons from Learning, Amsterdam, N. Holland (1994)

World Bank (2011) Transforming the School Education System as the Foundation of a Knowledge Hub Project (TSEP), Project Appraisal Document (2011 November)

World Bank & Ministry of Education (2012a) ESDFP, 2012‐2016; TSEP: Technical Paper 1: School‐based Teacher Development

World Bank & Ministry of Education (2012b) ESDFP, 2012‐2016; TSEP: Technical Paper 2: Programme for School Improvement

World Bank & Education for all Fast Track Initiatives (2011) An Impact Evaluation of Sri Lanka’s Policies to Improve the Performance of Schools and Primary School Students through its School Improvement and School Report Card Programs, Colombo: The World Bank

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Further reading Bruce S. C. & Shute R.W. (1988) Training for School Management, Institute of Education, University of London, UK

Drucker Peter F. (1990) Managing the Non‐profit Organization, Principles and Practice, Butterworth‐Heinemann Ltd., UK

Duke Daniel L. (1987) School Leadership and Instructional Improvement, Random House, New York

Everard K.B. & Morris G. (1986) Effective School Management, Harper and Row

Gamage T.G. (2008) How to Develop Skills and Competencies in Leading and Managing Schools for a Better Future, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka

Kellaghan Thomas et al (1993) The Home Environment and School Learning‐Promoting Parental Involvement in the Education of Children, Jossey‐Bass Publishers, San Francisco

Ministry of Education (2013) Guidebook on programme for school improvement, Battaramulla: MoE

Ministry of Education (2013) Guideline on school‐based teacher development, Battaramulla: MoE

Ministry of Education (2013) Circular No. 07/2013 dated November 28, 2013, Circular and handbook on Planning and procurement for school‐based qualitative, quantitative and structural development

Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka (2007) Education Sector Development Framework and Programme

Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, PPR Division (2004) Manual of Instructions for School Level Planning, (Unpublished, October, 2004)

Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka, Primary Education Branch (2012) Guidelines for a Child‐Friendly Approach for Primary Schools

Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka: (2010) New Vision for Education, 2010 progress and proposed programmes 2011 (2010 November)

NEREC, University of Colombo (2007) National Assessment of Grades 8 and 10 students in schools, Patterns and Trends in Performance (2007)

NEREC, University of Colombo (2009) National Assessment of Grade 4 students in Sri Lanka, 2009 National Report (2009 November)

OECD (2004) Teachers Matter: Attracting, Developing and Retaining Effective Teachers, Draft Report (October 2004)

Owens Robert G. (1981) Organizational Behaviour in Education, Prentice Hall

Peter Mortimore et al (1989), School Matters, Junior Years, Open Books Publishing Ltd

Peters Thomas J. & Waterman, Jr. R.H. (1988) In Search of Excellence, Harper and Row, New York

Peters Tom & Austin Nancy (1986) A Passion for Excellence, Fontana

Policy and Planning Branch, Ministry of Education (2013) Guidelines for School‐level planning

Saphier Jon, Gower Robert (1987) The Skilful Teacher‐Building Your Teaching Skills (1987)

Schlechty Philip C (1990) Schools for the 21st Century, Leadership Imperatives for Education Reform Jossey‐Bass Inc., California (1990)

Van Velzen W.G. et al, (1985) Making School Improvement Work, A Conceptual Guide to Practice, acco, ISIP‐Book (1985)

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Web page blogs/articles from Ecology of Education, International Learning Orientation Research, and Teacher Expertise on Learning Environment

World Bank (2005) Treasures of the Education System in Sri Lanka, Restoring Performance, Expanding Opportunities and Enhancing Prospects (2005 February)

World Bank (2007) Guiding Principles for Implementation of School‐based management, Education Human Development Network, An online tool kit, (2007 December)

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Annexure

Annexure 2.1: Criteria for selections of secondary schools 1. The Ministry of Education in collaboration with the provincial education authorities will conduct

a school mapping exercise and will identify most appropriate secondary schools for further development. The mapping exercise will include following steps: (i) Identification of student flow within each school, by grades and by GN divisions, during

past 3/5 years; (ii) Identify schools with student flow information by GN divisions; (iii) Identify patterns of student flow by GN divisions and emerging school groups (i.e. schools

with high student flows from particular GN divisions); (iv) Identify schools for further development within each selected school group and submit

structure proposals in respect of each selected school to the Steering Committee to be established at the Ministry of Education for approval.

2. Selection procedures should strictly be conducted associating available school data,

geographical information system data, student flow analyses and zone and divisional level officials' own professional experience. School mapping techniques should be used to ensure more rationalised distribution of schools with secured access to all children. Education division should be considered as the unit of analysis, and student flow analyses will inform about the schools that are more feasible for further development. Projected student flow for at least next 05‐10 years should be studied in this exercise. Certain aspects to be considered are:

a. Geographical location and road access; b. Number of students of the primary and secondary schools; c. Patterns of student flow of the selected school and surrounding schools (sp. Feeder

primary schools); d. Distance to the secondary school from the primary feeder schools; e. Available and required spaces of the school (both basic and higher‐order learning

spaces); f. Access for public facilities and government administrative offices; g. Pattern of demographic changes and population growth in the area; h. Availability/ if not available, whether access can be established for electricity,

communication; i. Cultural and environmental factors and any special circumstances; j. Feasibility for rational deployment of subject specific teachers in the school; k. Selection of a good principals l. Leadership capacity of the principal. m. Maximum size per school.

3. Every selected school need to cater at least three primary schools located in the surrounding

geographical area, creating a viable and inter‐linked school network, hence the mapping exercise should be extended to identify most appropriate primary schools for development through a supplementary component.

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4. In line with this programme, the provincial education authorities may suggest for a comprehensive supplementary plan for the development of small schools with less than 50 students. Where ever possible, some of such schools could be included in the selected networks while others located in isolated areas may remain to be developed as they are.

Conditions for development of schools

1. Selected schools should demonstrate viability for development in the future as a promising institution that will provide better service to a wider community;

2. Selected schools may be belong to any existing type of schools (i.e. 1AB, 1C, Type 2, Type 3/ National, Provincial/ Central schools, Navodya, Isuru etc.);

3. Under unavoidable circumstances certain primary schools could be selected provided such schools demonstrate the potential of growing as a secondary school.

4. Selected schools perhaps may belong to type 2/1C/1AB with grade span of 1 to 13. Such schools will be subject to the condition to be transformed to schools with Grades 6‐13, by gradually removing primary classes (by not enrolling Grade 1 students. In such cases, the Directors of respective Zonal Education Offices should be made responsible for assuring rights of prospective children to be admitted to Grade 1 of such schools, by making arrangement to enroll them in close by primary schools).

5. All selected secondary schools should have medium‐term development plans for 2012‐2016. The primary schools that will belong to the network and any new primary schools to be established should also have medium‐term development plans for 2012‐2016.

6. The medium‐term school development plan may include following components. a. Strategies to improve access and participation while adhering to the stipulated national

norms regarding class sizes b. Quality development: processes c. Capacity development: teachers, senior management staff, principals and communities.

Add to this, the capacity development of divisional and zonal officials. d. Procurement of basic and higher‐order capital equipment. e. Infrastructure development: continuations and constructions of school buildings, other

infrastructure. f. Maintenance of capital assets (buildings and equipment)

‐ This plan should include cost estimates by components and by activities. ‐ Implementation should be phased out and prioritized considering the costs. ‐ Requirements should be computed based on the national norms/criteria ‐ Building constructions designs may include provincial specific historical

architecture. 7. The budget for each school should be decided taking into account the essential requirements

and on priority. It could be suggested to agree upon the amount allocated for a school may range from Rs 5mn to 60mn, as to meet the availability of limited financial resources. It is also suggested for all selected schools to be provided with a catalytic grant to meet requirements of their quality development processes and procurement of equipment, as the first step.

Source: MoE (2011); PPB, MoE (2010).

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Annexure 3.1: National norms and criteria for provision of school facilities

National norms and criteria have categorised into the six categories: i. Classroom spaces ii. Special spaces iii. Furniture iv. Sanitary facilities v. Special facilities vi. Principals quarters and teachers quarters

1.0 Classroom spaces

1.1 Primary cycle (grades 1 – 5) 1.06 sq. meters per pupil

1.2 Secondary/Collegiate cycle (grades 6‐11 and 12 & 13) 0.93 sq. meters per pupil

2.0 Special spaces

2.1 Multipurpose room and unit for practical and technical skills Grades 6‐9 enrolment:

• up to 50 ‐ 01 Multipurpose room (6.2X6 sq. meters) • above 50 ‐ 01 Unit for practical and technical skills

(12.4X7.5 sq. meters) 2.2 GCE OL: Science laboratory Grades 6‐11 enrolment:

• above 90 ‐ GCE OL Science laboratory (6X12.4 sq. meters)

2.3 Technical workshops Grades 10‐11 and 12 & 13 Technical stream enrolment:

• up to 120 ‐ Double unit workshop • 120‐180 ‐ Two storied workshop • One additional double unit for every additional 120 pupils in Grades 10‐13 and

12‐13 technical stream

2.4 GCE AL: Science laboratory GCE AL Science enrolment:

• up to 120 ‐ Double unit laboratory • above 120 ‐ Two storied block with 3 laboratories

2.5 GCE AL: Geography room 50 students studying Geography in GCE AL Arts/Commerce:

• 01 Geography room (9.3X6 sq. meters)

2.6 Aesthetic units • Grades 6‐9 enrolment: ‐ above 140 ‐ Double unit

(15.5X6 sq, meters) • Grades 6‐11 enrolment: ‐ above 200 ‐ Double unit

(15.5X6 sq, meters)

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2.7 Home economics units

• for GCE OL ‐ 6.2X7.5 sq. meters) • for GCE AL ‐ 21.7X7.5 sq. meters)

2.8 Agriculture unit with green house • Grades 6‐9 ‐ 6.2X3.3 and 3.3.X2.1 sq. meters)

2.9 Libraries Grades 6‐11 enrolment:

• up to 90 ‐ 01 room (6.2X6 sq. meters): Type C • above 90 ‐ 01 room (12.4X6 sq. meters): Type A

(18.6X6 sq. meters): Type D GCE AL enrolment:

• above 100 ‐ 01 room (9.3X6 sq. meters)

2.10 Social studies room Grades 6‐11 enrolment:

• above 180 ‐ 01 room (6.2X6 sq. meters)

2.11 English resource centre • Grades 3‐5 enrolment :

‐ above 120 ‐ 01 room (6.2X6 sq. meters) • Grades 3‐5 enrolment :

‐ above 200 ‐ 01 room (6.2X6 sq. meters) • Grades 3‐11 enrolment:

‐ above 250 ‐ 01 room (6.2X6 sq. meters)

3.0 Furniture Type C ‐ Infant Desks ‐ 1 for two pupils in Grades 1‐4 Type C ‐ Infant Chairs ‐ 1 for each pupil in Grades 1‐4 Type B ‐ Medium size Chairs ‐ 1 for each pupil in Grades 5‐9 Type B ‐ Medium size Desks ‐ 1 for each pupil in Grades 5‐9 Type A ‐ Pupil Desks ‐ 1 for each pupil in Grades 10‐13 Type A ‐ Chairs ‐ 1 for each pupil in Grades 10‐13 Steel Cupboards ‐ One Steel Cupboard for each classroom Two for Office, One for Storeroom Blackboards ‐ One for each class Teachers’ Chairs ‐ One for each class + 10% Teachers’ Desks ‐ One for each class + 10% Office Tables ‐ Two for each school

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4.0 Sanitary facilities

4.1 Sanitary facilities for students

Enrolment Required number of units

Required number of toilets for Girls schools

Required number of toilets/urinals for Boys schools

Toilets Urinals

100 2 2 1 1

200 3 3 1 2

300 5 5 2 3

400 6 6 2 4

500 8 8 3 5

600 9 9 3 6

700 11 11 4 7

800 12 12 4 8

900 14 14 5 9

1,000 15 15 5 10

1,200 16 16 5 11

1,400 17 17 6 11

1,600 18 18 6 12

1,800 19 19 6 13

2,000 or above 2,000 20 20 7 13

4.2 Teachers’ toilets Teachers less than 10 ‐ 01 toilet Teachers 11‐40 ‐ 02 toilets Teachers 40 upwards ‐ 03 toilets 4.3 Water supply

Pipe borne water/Wells to be provided for each school.

5.0 Special facilities

5.1 Office space Enrolment:

• up to 750 ‐ Type 1 administrative block (36 sq. meters) • up to 750‐2,000 ‐ Type 2 administrative block (95 sq. meters) • above 2,000 ‐ Type 3 administrative block (185 sq. meters)

5.2 Store room Enrolment:

• up to 500 ‐ 01 room (3.1x6 sq. meters) • above 500 ‐ 01 room (6.2x6 sq. meters)

5.3 Staff room • under 10 teachers ‐ No room will be provided. • up to 20 teachers ‐ 01 room (3.1x6 sq. meters) • 21 – 40 teachers ‐ 01 room (6.2x6 sq. meters) • above 41 teachers ‐ 01 room (9.3x6 sq. meters)

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6.0 Principals’ quarters and teachers’ quarters

6.1 Principals’ quarters • 01 to each school

6.2 Teachers’ quarters • For single persons ‐ 600 sq. feet • For Family ‐ (i) 800 sq. feet

(ii) 1,400 sq. feet (iii) 1,800 sq. feet

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The guidelines for improving learning environment in Sri Lankan schools provide a broad framework to each school to initiate its own programme for the transformation of the school as a centre of learning equipping the student of today to fit the knowledge‐based economy of tomorrow. These guidelines are provided under the national programme for the development of 1,000 secondary and 5,000 primary schools which are directly linked to the objectives spelt out in the Mahinda Chinthana Vision for the Future (2010). The Policy and Planning Branch of the Ministry of Education which coordinated the compilation of the guidelines for improving learning environment acknowledges the contribution made by the respective subject directors of the Ministry of Education to the production of this booklet and invites the subject teachers to be in continuous dialogue with them and other subject leaders in the National Institute of Education and the provinces. Mr. E.S. Liyanage, Consultant provided intellectual and academic inputs for this guideline. His services are gratefully acknowledged. It is hoped that these guidelines will be useful to teachers, principals, parents and education officers who are in the frontline and to others committed to the development of primary and secondary education in Sri Lanka.

Funded by:

The World Bank

Transforming the School Education System as the Foundation of a Knowledge Hub Project (TSEP) [2012‐2017], Sri Lanka

Documents

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