Hon. Governor N. Vethanayahan emphasized that, beyond maintaining the Northern Province’s national first place in the percentage of university admissions from among all candidates, efforts must be made to further raise that achievement level and in particular, intensive attention must be given to increasing the number of students gaining university admission on a ‘merit’ basis.
The monthly progress review meeting of the Northern Province Ministry of Education, Cultural Affairs, Sports, and Youth Affairs was held today evening – on Thursday, 30 April 2026, at the Governor’s Secretariat under the chairmanship of Hon. Governor N. Vethanayahan.
At this meeting, the progress of projects implemented by the Ministry and its Departments of Education, Sports, and Cultural Affairs was reviewed in detail. In addition, the current status of projects being carried out in national schools in the Northern Province through the Central Ministry of Education was also examined.
During this discussion, the Hon. Governor highlighted several key matters and issued directives:
The Governor paid special attention to the newly formulated teacher transfer policy, aimed at rationalizing the distribution of cadre across the province. Officials were instructed to promptly hold discussions with teachers’ trade unions regarding this policy and to take swift action to implement teacher transfers for the following year through the new policy framework.
The Governor also instructed that the personal files of teachers and principals should not be left pending without being updated until they apply for retirement, and that these files must be updated and regularized in a timely manner. He further gave a firm directive that no one’s retirement should be delayed due to pending inquiries, and that all such inquiries must be concluded swiftly.
Highlighting the critical role of Zonal Education Directors in administrative functions, the Governor emphasized that they must make decisions with confidence and implement them appropriately. He explained with practical examples that many internal issues can be avoided through effective performance. He also noted that each zone should identify and honour teachers and principals who perform outstandingly.
The meeting was informed that cultural festivals organized through the Department of Cultural Affairs are planned to be completed at the Divisional Secretariat level by the end of June, at the district level by the end of July, and at the provincial level by the end of August.
Discussion was also held, with the participation of representatives from ‘Aero Wings Aeronautical Club’, an organization providing students with education in aviation and aerospace technology. The meeting explored ways to create awareness among students about opportunities in the civil aviation sector and to take them on field visits and exhibitions. Since the club has already been established at the school level at Vavuniya Irampaikulam Girls’ College, the Governor requested that arrangements be made to provide awareness about this to students at other schools in the province as well.
A special discussion was also held on increasing the pass rates in the Physical Science and Biology streams at the G.C.E. Advanced Level examination, and on raising the number of students selected to universities on a ‘merit’ basis. The Vice Chancellor of the University of Vavuniya, the Dean of the Faculty of Science of the University of Jaffna, and school principals participated in this discussion.
It was pointed out that the failure to complete syllabi for Advanced Level students on time is a major setback. Confidence was expressed that by rectifying this and by calculating and publishing the ‘Z’ score for students alongside their final term examination results, achievement levels can be improved. The Governor directed education officials to take follow up action in this regard.
Senior officials including the Northern Province Chief Secretary, Secretary to the Governor, Secretary of the Provincial Ministry of Education, Provincial Director of Education, Provincial Director of the Sports Department, Assistant Director of the Cultural Affairs Unit, Zonal Education Directors from all zones in the Northern Province participated in this discussion.
