The Director General of the National Institute of Education (NIE), Prof. Manjula Vithanapathirana, has decided to temporarily step down from her position pending the outcome of an inquiry into the controversial Grade 6 English learning module.
Education sector sources said the decision was taken to facilitate an independent investigation into concerns raised over the inclusion of an inappropriate web reference in supplementary teaching material prepared by the NIE.
Subsequent checks by authorities confirmed that the incorrect reference redirected users to a website catering to a gay audience.
In response, the Ministry of Education has launched an internal inquiry into the matter and has also lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) for further investigation.
The Ministry has additionally suspended the distribution of the printed Grade 6 English module.
Education authorities have stated that corrective measures will be taken based on the findings to prevent similar incidents in future curriculum development. (Newswire)
