Responding to a question raised by Kurunegala District UNP MP Ashok Abeysinghe, the Minister said that steps had been taken to establish a teacher training institute in Meepe area to train teachers from all countries in the SAARC region.

“For the first time in country’s history it was under the Mahinda Rajapaksa government we have recruited 3,606 graduate teachers for the Aesthetic subject,” he said.

Minister Gunawardena said that an NCE to train Management teachers would be set up in Maharagama area and the ministry was looking for a suitable location to set up an NCE to train teachers for Technology subject.

He said that there were 6,593 schools in the country which teach the Aesthetic subjects from Grade six onwards. In Kurunegala District there were 984 such schools and 1,512 teachers teach the Aesthetic subjects in those schools, the minister added. (Special Reporter/HC)