Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) National List Parliamentarian Sujith Sanjaya Perera yesterday requested the Government to formulate laws to regulate
international schools as most of them are substandard and the fees they levy are arbitrarily increased every year.
He made this request from the Education Minister Prof. G.L. Peiris who was responding to a query made by him during the round of questions for oral answers in Parliament yesterday. Minister G.L. Peiris suggested that the Government is ready to make the necessary amendments following discussions on the matter in a council comprising representatives of all parties.
Professor Peiris said according to the available statistics, there are 393 international schools. None of them has been registered under the Education Ministry and hence none of them is monitored nor regulated by the Education Ministry. The Minister said the Education Ministry has no legal authority to regulate those international schools. Minister Peiris said that according to clause 25 of the Assisted Schools And Training Colleges (Supplementary Provisions) Act (No. 8 of 1961), the private sector cannot initiate schools to teach students between the ages of 5 to 14 years. He added that on various occasions, various Governments had attempted to amend this clause 25, yet failed.
On this occasion, MP Sanjaya Perera said that most parents are not aware of this situation. He added the standards of the teachers in these schools vary. On the other hand the student’s charges are increased annually at the discretion of the managements of the schools. He added the parents are in trouble as they cannot change the schools after admission.