“English as a Life Skill” programme launched in Colombo

Sunil C. Perera in Colombo
India has begun aiding English-language teaching in Sri Lanka in a major way to enable young Sri Lankans get jobs in the corporate sector.

The “English as a Life Skill” programme, started by the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, aims to train at least 50,000 persons between the ages of 18 and 24 in the use of the language with assistance from the High Commission of India and the English and Foreign Languages University in Hyderabad.

The course will be short-term in order to get quick results.
Speaking at the launching ceromany in Colombo today Minister Sarath Amunugama points out the need of using modern technologies to teach the English language. 11 educational institutes of India will contribute to this programme. Indian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Alok Prasad also participated in the event.

According to the sources Colombo will host an “English Teaching Business Mela” from today to 25th in which the EFLU, the Sri Lankan government, and Indian and Sri Lankan investors would discuss the possibility of joint ventures to teach job-oriented English-language skills.