Ed. Ministry requests teacher training colleges to be released
View(s):The Education Ministry has asked the Defence and Health Ministries to look into the possibility of releasing teacher training colleges presently in use as quarantine and COVID treatment centres.
“All 19 teacher training colleges in the country were taken for quarantine and COVID centres, following instructions given by the Defence and Health Ministries, during the first few weeks of the second wave of COVID-19,” Education Ministry Commissioner (Teacher Education) E. M. S. Ekanayake said.
“Even though we thought they will be released soon, at present only about two colleges have been released. We have sent written requests to the secretaries of both ministries to find alternative spaces for COVID treatment and quarantine centres as thousands of to-be teachers are waiting to be trained and a new batch of students has to be enrolled,” he said.
He also said even though online teaching was being conducted, it had not been successful.
“State run teacher training colleges produce the best trained teachers in the country. Therefore teacher training in a classroom atmosphere is essential,” Mr. Ekanayake said.
“If the training colleges need to be released by March, the intake of COVID patients should be stopped by now, giving two weeks’ time for the patients and those quarantined to be released. Otherwise reopening the college will be further delayed,” he added.
According to him, currently there are 7000 students training to be teachers, including 4000 from the internship batch. Interviews for the new batch of 4,253 students would begin tomorrow (February 15).
Teacher unions too had been pressing the Education Ministry to resume teacher training before the present teacher shortage worsens.
“Every year about 4000 trained teachers are added to the cadre. We have written to the Education Ministry Secretary to discuss with health authorities and make arrangements to begin studies at teacher training colleges as soon as possible. As most schools have begun studies, teachers too need to be trained,” said the Ceylon Teacher Services Union President Dhammika Alahapperuma.
He said the union had pointed out that online training of teachers would have a negative impact on the quality of previously given in-house teacher training.
- Nadia Fazlulhaq