A three-month-long teacher-training program in STEM subjects, funded by an Indian grant, successfully concluded last week with a closing ceremony held on Friday, October 18. The program was aimed at enhancing the teaching skills of educators in schools across Sri Lanka’s plantation regions.
The ceremony took place at the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, Forest Resources, Water Supply, Plantation, and Community Infrastructure. It was attended by key dignitaries, including the High Commissioner of India to Sri Lanka, Santosh Jha, and J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara, Secretary to the Ministry of Education and Science and Technology. Senior officials from the Ministries of Education, Science and Technology, and the National Institute of Education were also present.
The Indian High Commission explained that the program was developed in response to a request from the Sri Lankan government. It aimed to provide specialized training in STEM subjects—Physics, Chemistry, Mathematics, English, and Biology—to teachers in plantation schools. The initiative was part of a broader Indian grant assistance package worth INR 750 million, announced last year to commemorate 200 years since the arrival of the Indian-origin Tamil community in Sri Lanka.
Nineteen Indian teacher-trainers, who arrived in Sri Lanka in July, conducted the program after undergoing a structured orientation module by the National Institute of Education. The training was delivered at nearly 40 centers across the Central, Uva, Sabaragamuwa, and Western Provinces, benefiting over 2,000 Sri Lankan teachers over the 10-week course.
During the closing ceremony, J.M. Thilaka Jayasundara praised the program’s effectiveness, noting its high utility for both teachers and schools. She expressed gratitude to the Indian government for their support and called for the program to be repeated in the near future. The 19 Indian teacher-trainers were specially honored by the Sri Lankan government during the event.
In his speech, Indian High Commissioner Santosh Jha emphasized that the successful completion of the teacher-training program reflects the strong and enduring people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka.