Sri Lankan school principals were introduced to the content and learning activities of the COL supported School-Based Professional Teacher Development (SBPTD) programme being implemented in the country. A recent workshop organised in Colombo in collaboration with the Ministry of Education brought together principals representing 15 national and provincial pilot schools.

Among the senior officials present was the Additional Secretary, School Affairs, Mr L.M.D. Dharmasena who highlighted the importance of innovative teacher professional development projects in the current pandemic situation. The Commissioner, Teacher Education, Mr E.M.S. Ekenayake said that principals must play an important role in encouraging teachers to engage in professional development programmes.

Other officials present at the workshop included Mr R.M.M. Rathnayake, Director, Teacher Education Administration Branch, Ms B.G.I. Kalani Hemali, Deputy Director, and Mr P.A.D.P. Nishantha, Assistant Director.

During the workshop, participants discussed various components of the SBPTD programme as well as the evolving Teacher Competency Framework. They were introduced to the online module system and ways in which participation would earn teachers their professional development points.

Dr Betty Ogange, COL’s Education Specialist: Teacher Education, said: “The success of school-based teacher professional development depends not only on the school principal’s ability to create an enabling environment for teacher learning within the school but also how effectively they play their role as the foremost instructional leader and learner in this process.”