Sri Lanka and World Bank have signed $100 million to support Sri Lanka’s efforts to strengthen and modernize its education system. The General Education Modernization Project (GEM) will modernize and diversify the curriculum of general education in keeping with the transformation taking place in Sri Lanka’s society and economy.
The project will help broaden choices at the GCE A-level grades so that students have the flexibility in selecting subjects from among the arts, management, science, technology, and vocational streams. Learning material for English language and mathematics will be developed digitally and the focus will be on children from schools located in more disadvantaged regions.
World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Dr. Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough said, “Sri Lanka has made impressive progress in expanding access to education. However, to reach the status of an Upper Middle-Income Country, it needs to further improve the overall learning outcomes. Sri Lanka’s education policy makers recognize that a high-quality general education system will enable students to meet the demands of 21st century jobs. We are happy to partner with the government to ensure that all children have the opportunity to gain foundational skills, especially in mathematics and english, needed to participate in Sri Lanka’s economic growth.
The project will benefit school students both at the primary (grades 1-5) and at the secondary (grades 6-13) levels. Technical Education and Vocational Training Institutes, academic and managerial staff of the schools will also benefit from this project.
