May 30, 2003	Friday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 27,1424

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ISLAMABAD, May 29: There are many lessons that Pakistan can learn from Sri Lanka in improving its education system and achieving the concept of Education for All (EFA) by focusing on primary education.

These views were expressed by participants of a forum on ‘Asian experiences in educational development — Case study: Sri Lanka’ organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) at the UN Offices here on Thursday.

The forum was jointly presided over by Unesco director Ingeborg Breines and High Commissioner of Sri Lanka to Pakistan Gen Sri Lal Weerasooriya.

Speaking on the occasion, Professor Asoka Jayasena of the University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka, said Pakistan with its strong Muslim religious base could use the Madaris as centres to impart primary education.

She said Sri Lanka had come a long way in achieving the present status of being the nation with the second highest literacy rate in Asia. At a time when most of the other countries virtually had not even thought of education as an essential element for human development, Sri Lanka had in place a well organized system of education, she maintained.

Ms Jayasena said there were three phases in the educational development of Sri Lanka: the era before 1505, from 1505 to 1947 and the post-independence period — from 1948 onwards. Many changes that are attributed to Sri Lanka’s gaining the second highest literacy rate in Asia took place during the period immediately after independence.

She said two years before independence, the regional languages were made the medium of instruction in educational institutions which helped enhance literacy rate.

Over the years, she added, control and structure of schools, curriculum, university admission policies and examination systems were subjected to changes.

Ms Jayasena said free education from the Kindergarten to the university level helped provide easy access to education, especially to those who did not seek education due to socio- economic factors. The most significant aspect of Sri Lanka’s achievements in the education sector was that it utilized its own resources and diverted 6.4 per cent of the GNP to the education sector.

Dr S.B Ekanayake, former director of Sri Lanka’s non-formal education, in his presentation said district-based admission to universities helped in assisting children from the deprived areas to have access to higher education.

He emphasized training of teachers, especially head teachers, for educational development. Priority was given to bring the status of teachers on a par with those in the administrative services. This helped in motivating teachers to be more committed to their profession, he added.