by Anton Peiris , Emeritus Coordinator, International Baccalaureate Goolbai Gunasekera has written a very good article: ‘A return to the English Medium of Instruction in schools is desperately needed’. I wish to take on from where Goolbai Gunasekera has left. The goal that she has proposed is laudable, but it will take a very long […]
(Reduce O / Level STRESS continued)
1. The shortage of Trained Science Teachers
The National Curriculum Framework document published by our National Institute of Education makes the following observation:
There is a shortage of qualified STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) teachers and a deployment practice skewed towards urban schools, making it difficult for non-urban students to access STEM streams. As a result, the government’s efforts to increase STEM access in provincial and rural areas by providing additional classrooms and laboratories have not led to the intended results. Secondary school enrolment in rural areas still remains skewed towards arts subjects. It is through science education the children get the ability to understand the world around them in a realistic way.