India launches STEM teacher training in Sri Lanka

Under the multi-sectoral Indian grant assistance of 750 million Indian rupees to mark 200 years since the arrival of the Indian-origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka, announced during President Ranil Wickremesinghe's visit to India in July 2023, a teacher training program in STEM subjects (Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English, and Biology) is currently underway in Sri Lanka.

The program was formally inaugurated on August 5 at a ceremony held at the Prime Minister’s Office, Temple Trees, Colombo. The event was attended by Deputy High Commissioner of India Dr. Satyanjal Pandey, senior officials from the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development, the National Institute of Education, teacher-trainers from India, and over 1000 teachers from various schools in Sri Lanka's plantation regions.

Nineteen Indian teachers specializing in STEM subjects arrived in Sri Lanka on July 21, 2024. From July 22 to August 2, they participated in orientation engagements coordinated by the Ministry of Water Supply and Estate Infrastructure Development and the Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka. These included interactions with senior officials, field trips to six schools in the Central and Western provinces, and a structured orientation program organized by the National Institute of Education. The opening session on July 29 was addressed by the Hon. Minister of State for Education of Sri Lanka, Mr. A. Aravindh Kumar, and senior officials of MWSEID, MoE, and the High Commission of India in Colombo. The orientation focused on reviewing syllabi, understanding specific HR and infrastructure requirements, and devising short-term and long-term strategies for the program's success and sustained benefits.

The Indian trainers will conduct in-person training sessions at nearly 40 centers across the Central, Uva, and Sabaragamuwa provinces, with some centers in the Western, Southern, and North Western provinces joining virtually. By the program's conclusion, hundreds of teachers from plantation area schools will have benefited.

This training program is part of India's extensive list of people-centric development partnership initiatives in Sri Lanka, guided by the needs of the Sri Lankan people and the priorities of the Government of Sri Lanka across various sectors, including education, housing, health, agriculture, livelihood sustenance, renewable energy, ports, and railways, among others.