The number of children to be admitted to a Grade 1 classroom will be limited to a maximum of 35 under the new Education Bill being worked out now, a report says.
The National Committee for formulating a New Education Act for General Education in Sri Lanka has compiled its final report.
The proposals made in the report will be incorporated in the new Bill to be presented in Parliament by the end of this year. The report says that Grade I admissions should primarily be made on the basis of proximity to the school from the residence of parents. Also, children should not be subjected to any sort of testing or evaluation for the purpose of admission.
The committee has observed that a certain category of parents resort to all kinds of ruses to get their children admitted to some ‘prestigious schools’ in the country. In some instances, there have been cases where children have also been trained to speak falsehood. The proximity to the school concerned is the main factor considered in the admission process. As a result, the prices of residential lands in close proximity to these prestigious schools have soared up. The committee has found instances where the number of students in a classroom rising even up to 50 as a result of this competition among parents. School principals are compelled to admit students even in excess of the standard number due to political influence.
DailyMirror.lk: