A new explanation has been released regarding the reports that there will be a change in the starting and ending times of schools in Sri Lanka. Cabinet Spokesperson and Minister Nalintha Jayatissa said that although the Ministry of Education has prepared some reports regarding the change of school hours, no final decision has been taken based on them.
While various information was being spread on social media regarding school timings, a question was raised at the press conference announcing the cabinet decisions about the government’s stand. Responding to that, the Minister has clarified that there is currently no discussion regarding changing the start and end time of schools.
He also mentioned that if the Ministry of Education takes any decision in this regard, it will be notified to the public in a proper manner. Therefore, the information released that the school timings are going to be changed immediately cannot be considered as a final government decision.
Government’s explanation regarding closure of schools
Not only the change in school timings, the minister also explained about the news that schools with less number of students will be closed. He said the government has not taken steps to arbitrarily close any government school.
The Minister said that studies are currently being carried out only in relation to some schools where the number of students has been continuously decreasing for many years. In particular, he said that the current condition of some schools established 60 or 70 years ago and the population change around them have been taken into consideration.
In the past there may have been more people living in a particular area. So a school might have been set up there. But the population composition of the area may have changed over the decades. As a result, the number of students enrolled in that school may have decreased significantly. The government said that the current studies are being carried out keeping such changes in mind.
It has also been informed that reports have been sought at the divisional and zonal education levels regarding schools with very low student numbers. Through these reports, the current status of each school, the number of students and the resources available are evaluated.
The minister said that it is important to create an environment where every child in the country can get quality education rather than simply keeping the school open. The government’s explanation is that investigations carried out on schools with fewer students should not be seen as immediate closure measures.
Addressing teacher shortages with educational restructuring
The minister also said that the reforms to be carried out in Sri Lanka’s education sector are not only related to the number of schools or the change in school hours. He explained that the aim is to bring the various deficiencies found in the education system under one framework and bring about changes.
In particular, it has been reported that education reform includes many things such as providing necessary physical resources to schools, improving human resources, making changes in education management and modernizing the methods of assessing students’ learning ability.
At the same time, the minister also mentioned that steps are being taken to add 3,000 new teachers to the education system in order to solve the shortage of teachers in schools. The induction of new teachers is expected to provide a substantial solution to the current shortage of teachers.
Teacher shortage has been a topic of discussion in the education sector for a long time. Due to the lack of sufficient teachers for certain subjects in some schools, it can affect the academic performance of the students. In an attempt to remedy this situation, the act of inducting new teachers becomes important.
Likewise, the minister also said that as part of the education reform, new curriculum changes for grades 1, 2 and 6 will be implemented by 2027. Through this, measures are being taken to adapt the curricula to the current needs of the students and to bring about changes in the learning and assessment methods.
As information regarding school timings has been released, it is now important for parents and students to act only on the basis of official announcements. The change will only come into effect if the Ministry of Education announces an official decision in the near future on whether to change the school start or end time.
As of now, the government has clarified that no final decision has been taken regarding the change of school timings. At the same time, studies and educational restructuring activities related to schools with low student numbers are ongoing.