Six months of Innovation

The future of education is taking shape at College, and we are thrilled to share an update on the ground-breaking STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) program for Grade 6 students! Six months ago, in 2025, St. Benedict's embarked on a bold step towards a future-ready curriculum, highlighted by the introduction of STEM as a core subject and the opening of their state-of-the-art STEM Centre – Chamber 1.

The Bens OBU Victoria extends its deepest gratitude for the incredible generosity of its members. Their funds and essential equipment laid the foundation for this transformative initiative, making this vision a reality. As Albert Einstein’s words, "It is not the intellect which makes a great scientist – it is character," displayed proudly in the STEM Centre, remind us, the college is nurturing not just bright minds, but strong characters.

Monitoring Progress & Student Success

The STEM program at St. Benedict's is truly thriving! The college maintains a robust monitoring process with teachers submitting weekly lesson plans and progress reports. Students are actively engaged in hands-on activities that involve coding, building, experimentation, and problem-solving. Regular reviews ensure the program aligns with the goals of 21st-century education.

Evidence of Learning in Action

The STEM Centre is truly a "creative playground" where students bring their ideas to life. They design, build, test, and present their models with palpable excitement and pride.

These hands-on activities promote teamwork and communication, creative thinking, and applied knowledge across science and technology disciplines. The students are becoming designers, engineers, and innovators—not just learners.

Take a look at the students in action!

College Overview & Zonal Acclaim

Currently, St. Benedict's College in Colombo has 238 students in Grade 6 across Sinhala, Tamil, and English mediums. All 42 teachers delivering 14 subjects, including STEM, are actively engaged in professional learning focused on 21st Century Learning approaches. STEM is allocated 120 minutes (2 hours) per week. Due to the large number of students, each class is split into two groups for STEM, scheduled in parallel with IT or PTS, requiring four teacher hours per week per class. At present, two teachers deliver the Grade 6 STEM program. For the next year, two additional teachers will be recruited to extend the program to Grade 7.

St Benedict’s College is leading a bold educational transformation, and its progress has garnered significant praise from the Colombo Zonal Education Department. A six-month review meeting highlighted the school’s remarkable strides in implementing its future-focused “21st Century Learning” initiative, launched in 2022 and currently active in Grade 6. Mr. Ranjith Devabandu, the Colombo Zonal Education Department Director, stated, “The progress at St. Benedict’s is truly inspiring. Their systematic approach, clear vision, and the demonstrable positive impact on students make this project an exemplary model. We actively discussed how their experiences can motivate teachers and inform professional learning programmes across other schools in the zone.”

St Benedict’s journey is built upon six core paradigm shifts: Prioritising Learning Over Teaching, Emphasising Skills Over Content, Integrating Digital Technologies (including AI), Exploring Alternative Assessments, Harnessing Creative Arts, and Cultivating Global Competence.

Read more about this in the Sunday Times.

Everything in a Nutshell

Flick through the presentation below to get a quick recap of what's happened in the last six months.

The Bens OBU Victoria invites all its members to remain active partners in this transformation. Together, the OBU and the college can help make St. Benedict’s a model 21st-century learning institution. As the message displayed in their STEM Centre proclaims, "If you can dream it, you can make it happen. Do it!".

Thank you for your continued commitment to our Alma Mater.