Building for NE special educational projects opened

[TamilNet, Saturday, 11 February 2006, 00:52 GMT]
Mr.S.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary of the North East Provincial Council (NEPC) Friday afternoon declared open a newly constructed three storied building at a cost of 11.6 million rupees by the Provincial Ministry of Education to house the offices of the five special educational projects now being implemented in the North East.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded Secondary Education Modernization Project (SEMP), GTZ, a unit of the German Government funded Basic Education Sector Unit (BESU), Primary Education Unit and Guidance and Counseling Unit are accommodated in the newly opened building.

The event commenced with the Chief Guest Mr.Rangarajah and the Guest of Honor Mr.R.Thiagalingam, Provincial Educational Ministry being taken in procession with the Band Music of the Orr's Hill Vivekananda College from the college entrance to the venue.

Mr.R.Thiagalingam lit the traditional oil lamp followed by several NEPC officials.

MrV.Rasiah, Additional Provincial Director of Education made the welcome address followed by Mr.S.R.Vinayagaretnam, Director of School Works and Mr.Sundaram Divakalala, Senior Programme Advisor of BESU and Mr.Mahendran, Director of Education of SEMP.

Mr.Thiagalingam said that provincial education ministry has appointed about seven thousand teachers in the northeast province for the last three years. The shortage for teachers in the province has been eased to a considerable extent. The quantity problem is solved. Now the problem of quality of education has cropped up. Appointments have been given to graduates passed out from 1993 and also to volunteer teachers serving in schools without looking into their teaching ability.. How to maintain the quality of education is the current problem facing the educationists, Mr.Thiagalingam.

Hence the special educational projects have been formulated to raise the standard of teaching and other related matters, he said.

Mr.Rangarajah, Chief Secretary said the national educational policy is common to the country but a special approach is needed for the development of education of the North East as it has suffered due to war. Thirty thousand teachers are serving in the province and about six hundred fifty thousand students in schools. Still the management of the provincial education sector is a challengeable task for the provincial administrators, he added

Mr.S.Navaratnam, Principal of Orr's Hill Vivekananda College proposed vote of thanks.