The ‘North-East Development Conference: Quest for Knowledge’ which took place in Scarborough, Ontario, brought together representatives from the North-East of Sri Lanka, as well as diaspora members involved in development and education.
The conference provided a space for representatives from the North-East to present information on the state of education in their respective provinces, as well as overlapping concerns.
Structural issues such as poverty and the mismatch between labour market needs and education were examined. In addition, the need for an ‘Institute of Tamil Medium Education’ for Tamil teachers to contribute to the decision-making of Tamil medium education was emphasized.
“The Tamil teachers and educators have become consumers of [National Institute of Education] NIE output rather than creators and collaborators of innovation and producers of textbooks and teaching materials in their language, a language that is among the oldest languages in the world,” stated Northern Education System Review report – a resource cited by panelists.
There were also areas of need outlined in terms of capacity and infrastructural deficits.
“The capacity of the teachers both in subject matter as well as creative teaching abilities need to be improved,” said Dr Ethirveerasingam.
Another area of focus was on research and managing information systems in order to make informed policy decisions specific to the North-East.
Dr Sivayokam, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital, spoke on the psychosocial wellbeing of students and staff. He proposed a change in the way in which educators perceive discipline. He further stated a need for improved counseling and guidance services for students, coupled with efforts to de-stigmatize such support systems.
Dr Sivayokam also addressed the need for teachers and administrators to be supported through collaborative spaces – such as through regular forums with their colleagues.
Educators in the diaspora presented on the education system in both Toronto and York Region. Speaking on requested topics such as progressive discipline, mental health strategies and special education.
The conference aimed to provide a foundation for educators from Sri Lanka and Canada to build mutually benefitting networks.
The three-day conference will also focus on health and development in the North-East.