The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation(UNESCO) said it welcomed the efforts being made by the Government of Sri Lanka(GoSL) to establish a Teacher Development Institute in Sri Lanka.

It said that the institute would serve as a educational hub for the region in catering to national needs while reaching out to countries in the region to support their teacher networks and strengthen their professional capacity.

Assistant Director General of UNESCO, Dr. Qian Tang, held talks with the Minister of Education and Sri Lankan Representative  on the UNESCO Executive Board, Bandula Gunawardena at its headquarters in  Paris  on Thursday (12).

The Sri Lankan Embassy in Paris, in a statement released yesterday, said that UNESCO welcomed the proposal and noted that it was an important step towards further collaboration in the field of education. Dr. Qian Tang also stated that Sri Lanka was the only country with a national action plan for education, peace and sustainable development.

Minister Bandula Gunawardena said that he welcomed  UNESCO’s support towards Sri Lanka in their efforts to provide teachers a proper understanding of English, Information Technology, Mathematics and Science and said that he hoped the proposed institute would pave the way for  professional development and enhancing the quality of teacher education in Sri Lanka.

By B.M.Murshideen