Daily school attendance mandatory for all graders to pass exams: Minister

• Points out education is not a process that can be achieved by gathering 1,500 children in a hall and giving lectures

 By Chaturanga Pradeep Samarawickrama

According to the new education transformation process, daily school attendance is mandatory in the future, and it applies to all graders to pass exams, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha said.  

 While joining the 2022 scholarship evaluation ceremony of the Ayagama Division of the Most Reverend Nivithigala Dhammananda Memorial Scholarship Foundation, the minister said that even in the Grade Five Scholarship Exam, there are a certain number of points that must be earned by staying in Grade Four and Five classrooms.   
“Education is not a process that can be achieved by gathering 1,500 children in a hall and giving lectures. It is a complex process that should prioritize the development of children’s discipline, multiple skills, and competencies. It is impractical to apply tuition methods for giving such lectures to the students of primary classes,” the minister said.   

The existing concepts and criteria regarding early childhood education in Sri Lanka are at a level that needs to be completely changed, and they should also undergo a complete transformation, the minister said.