The Catholic Council convened for discussions with government representatives on Thursday (21) for the first time in nine years.
The meeting was held at the Presidential Secretariat under the co-chairmanship of Science and Technology Minister Chrishantha Abeysena and Presidential Secretary Dr Nandika Sanath Kumanayake.
Administrative issues related to government-acquired Catholic schools, the establishment of a structured teacher cadre system for Catholic religious education and the recruitment of Catholic nuns and priests into the teaching profession, was focused during the discussion, and also the mechanisms to strengthen support from the Ministry of Education for the administration of Catholic schools taken over by the state.
It was further decided to hold discussions with the Catholic Council three times a year, while Senior Additional Secretary to the President Roshan Gamage was appointed secretary to the forum.
Speaking during the meeting, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith thanked President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and the government for facilitating the discussions.
The Cardinal said the objective was to ensure that every student had the opportunity to study his or her own religion without discrimination, while stressing the need to address existing issues within the education sector.
Several Catholic bishops, clergy members and Education Ministry officials also attended the meeting. (Newswire)