$400M ADB Loan to Aid Secondary Education

By Paneetha Ameresekere

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) on 1 December signed a US$ 400 million loan agreement to support in transforming the secondary education system to align with the demand for highly-skilled and agile workers who can compete in the rapidly changing global economy, at the Treasury office in Colombo. 

The loan, known as ‘The Secondary Education Sector Improvement Programme’ aims to assist about 953,000 students annually, with skills. More than 47,000 upper-secondary education teachers will also be trained on inquiry-based and interactive learning approaches to increase student interest and engagement with subject content.

Finance Ministry Secretary S.R. Attygalle signed the loan agreement for the GoSL and the ADB Sri Lanka Resident Mission Country Director Chen Chen signed on behalf of the ADB. 

The programme will also equip the young population with knowledge and skills in Science, Technology, Mathematics, and Commerce (STMC) streams.  It will enhance readiness for further education in STMC fields and foster competencies for higher productivity an adaptability. To achieve this, the programme will reform the curricula, instruction, and assessment systems to focus on the practical application of knowledge and integrate cognitive and socio-emotional skills.