Sports and arts important aspects of education: PM

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday said that more attention should be paid to assist students who showed a talent in sports and arts to develop their skills. 

Speaking at the launch of the National Sports Development Programme, launched yesterday at his official residence at Temple Trees, the Prime Minister highlighted the need to focus on students who were talented in arts as well as sports in order to preserve Sri Lanka’s inherited culture as well as its sports.

“If we do not do this we will lose the culture and sporting talent we have. There is a lot to be done in this aspect. Selecting proper teachers in different areas and working together with the Education Ministry will be key in making these programs successful. These programs should be launched through the Education Ministry,” he stressed.

The Government is now exploring the possibility of engaging students who are skilled in sports but are not academically inclined, Wickremesinghe said, adding that the Government planned to introduce sport-based subjects to the Advance Level curriculum. 

“We have to recognise and work with students who may not excel in the academic field but are good at sports. So we are planning to introduce sport-based subjects in the technical field of the Advanced Level. For this, the Education Ministry will have to work not only with the Sports Ministry but also the provincial sports and education ministries. So in reality there will be 20 ministries working on this program. The coordination of this program will be very important as most of the smaller schools are operated through the Provincial Education Ministry,” he said.  

Lamenting over Sri Lanka’s inability to gain international recognition in the field of sports, the Prime Minister highlighted the need for long-term planning and the investment needed for such achievements. 

He also regretted the little attention sports had received in the current education system, stressing that cultivating sporting talent should be done at the school level if the country was to acquire international recognition in the future. 

The Prime Minister said that sports should be reintroduced to the school education system and acknowledged that it was the responsibility of the Government to assist and develop school sports.  

“The Government plans to develop new talent in all other sports. The launch of the school sports development program is the first step towards this. It takes at least two years to achieve significant international victories in sports. This sports program is being launched by the Education Ministry. While not everyone has the ability to reach the very top in sports, sports teach students how to work in teams and how to deal with victory and loss,” he said.