Cabinet okays Improvement to Education Facilities and for Quality of Education

Cabinet this week approved a series of proposals to provide more Education facilities as well as improve quality of Education. They are: A Memorandum of Understanding between the United Arab Emirates and Sri Lanka to strengthen cooperation in Higher Education, proposed by Minister of Higher Education & Highways, Lakshman Kiriella, said coCabinet spokesman, Minister Gayantha Karunathilake. A programme to increase teachers' awareness on Environment studies, proposed by President Maithripala Sirisena, by the introduction of environmentally sensitive sections to the new syllabus of Science subject from Grades 6 to 11, to change schoolchildren's attitudes regarding the environment. An agreement on Science Technology & Innovation to be signed between Sri Lanka and Iran during President Sirisena's official visit to Iran from January 14-17, proposed by Minister of Science & Research, Susil Premajayantha. Grant of 45 perches near Colombo 7 to the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) to accommodate the gradually increasing demand for its courses, where, about 10,500 students attend NIBM courses and the existing space would no longer be sufficient in the future. Proposed jointly by Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe and Minister Duminda Dissanayake. Prime Minister's proposal to seek financial assistance from a bank in Austria, on concessionary terms, to uplift the standards of Faculties of major Universities, including necessary Medical equipment for the Medical Faculties of the Rajarata and Eastern Universities, and for the Allied Health Science Faculty of the University of Peradeniya. (AW)