Working currently as the Head of the Department for Economics at the University College School (UCS) in the UK, Pasan Fernando is all set to move into his new role as the Assistant Principal Notting Hill and Ealing High School, London when the academic year begins in September. Having had his education at Wycherley International School, Colombo Pasan went on to obtain a BA Hons from the University of Nottingham, PGCE Institute of Education, and an MLitt from the University of St Andrews.

Pasan developed a passion for teaching when he returned to Sri Lanka one summer and taught briefly at CIS. He says “My aim has always been to foster a deeper understanding and passion for the subject among my students, ensuring they are well-prepared for their university education and future endeavours.” economics department at UCS was highly successful. “Our A Level results surpassed those of other esteemed institutions, including Eton College and Harrow School. It was a remarkable achievement, with 57 A* grades, an impressive 85% of students achieving A*-A, and an outstanding 97% achieving A*-B grades.”

Not one to rest on his laurels, since 2015 Pasan has been conducting teacher training workshops through his charity, the British Teaching Institute. These sessions, which aim to empower educators and improve teaching and learning provisions, have been a fulfilling endeavour. From 2017 onwards, Pasan’s husband, Damian Armitage, the Head of Mathematics at UCS, joined him in delivering these workshops. Together, they strive to enhance the quality of education the children receive by empowering and equipping teachers with effective teaching methods.

Pictured: Damian Armitage

Q WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE TEACHING PROFESSION? Whilst I was on my summer holidays in my 2nd year of University, I was given the opportunity to teach Geography to a Grade 8 class at CIS. Ever since then, I knew this is where my passion was, even though I was studying to be a politician.

Q WHERE DO YOU CURRENTLY WORK AND WHAT DO YOU TEACH? I am currently the Head of Economics at the University College School but will be moving as the Assistant Principal in charge of Partnerships and Co-curricular activities at Notting Hill and Ealing High School in London.

Q HAVE YOU EVER TAUGHT IN SRI LANKA? My first ever teaching job, albeit only 3 weeks, was at CIS. After I finished my undergraduate degree I came back and worked as an Economics Teacher at The Study, Colombo.

Q WHAT ARE THE NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TEACHING STUDENTS FROM SRI LANKA AND THE UK? Generally speaking, Sri Lankan students appear to value education more and there is more respect for teachers. But at the end of the day, students are students and want to learn from someone who has their best interests at heart.

Q WHAT PROMPTED YOU TO INITIATE AN ONLINE TEACHING PROGRAMME FOR TEACHERS IN SRI LANKA? I’ve been running these sessions in person before covid, but since covid, I couldn’t travel to Sri Lanka so I decided to do these online. I carried it out in 2020 and 2021 and will be doing it again this year. I am also hoping to carry out some in-person workshops and am currently liaising with some schools to visit and train teachers.

Q CAN YOU SHARE A BRIEF OUTLINE OF THE COURSE CONTENT? The online session will be delivered by a range of high-profile educators in the UK from Deputy Principals to Principals. They will be delivering 10-minute sessions of activities that teachers in Sri Lanka can use without access to resources or technology.

Q DO YOU TEACH SUBJECTS PER SE OR IS IT TEACHING METHODOLOGY? The course content will be generic so it is accessible for all teachers from primary to secondary education.

Q WHICH SCHOOLS FROM SRI LANKA HAVE PARTICIPATED IN YOUR PROGRAMME? A range of school teachers have participated from both local and international schools around the country since its inception. My husband and I also carried out a training session at Ladies’ College in 2019 delivering a 2-hour session to the entire senior section.

Q WHEN IS THE NEXT SCHEDULED PROGRAMME? The session will be on the 5th of August at 2pm Sri Lanka time. Online.

Q HOW CAN SRI LANKAN SCHOOLS APPLY TO JOIN? They can message me through the British Teaching Institute FB page and join the Zoom link. It is completely free to join.

Q CAN INDIVIDUAL TEACHERS NOT AFFILIATED WITH A SCHOOL JOIN THE PROGRAMME TOO? It is open to absolutely anyone interested in improving their teaching practice.

Q HOW CAN YOUR TEACHING METHODS ADD VALUE TO SRI LANKAN TEACHERS? The idea of these workshops/seminars is to share ideas for teachers to try out as opposed to the traditional talk and chalk method. By making the content exciting, there is more chance that students will remember it as opposed to just for an exam.

Q GIVEN THE CHANCE WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE WITHIN THE TEACHING CURRICULUM IN SRI LANKA? I am not familiar with the teaching curriculum in Sri Lanka as I was educated at Wycherley and we did the international curriculum. But I would definitely make English and basic computer skills compulsory for all students regardless of the school.

Q WHAT METHODS CAN PARENTS ADOPT TO HELP THEIR CHILDREN WITH SCHOOLWORK? Students need discipline at home as well to complete their school work, so it is up to the parents to provide this space for them to get the work done. What I have noticed is that parents are too busy with their own lives, that the child gets neglected and does not have the right environment to consolidate the work that was done in school. By this, I do not mean extra tuition, just a few hours when students come home to go over the work they have done and parents ask questions, especially when the students are young. Harness a love for learning at home as well, so the learning will be much smoother when they are at school.

Pix courtesy Pasan