National Colleges of Education (Vidya Peeta/ විද්‍යා අධ්‍යාපන පීඨ) conducts Three Year Pre-Service  Professional Course in Teacher Education for producing professional competent teacher in order to achieve the objective of delivering quality education to every child.

It's functions are consisted with,

• Recruiting trainees to National Colleges of Education
• Coordinating of curriculum development activities of National Colleges of Education
• Directing management and administrative activities of National Colleges of Education
• Supervising activities on National Colleges of Education
• Maintaining information management system in the National Colleges of Education
• Attending establishment matters of the academics and non-academics staff of National Colleges of Education
• Conducting activities to select candidates from teachers and education officers for the full-time internal course of Post Graduate Diploma in Education conducted by universities
• Attending establishment matters of the officers belongs to Teacher Education Service

How to be enrolled for teacher training

As per the requirement in the educational system, applications will be called via government gazette notifications; the untrained non graduate teachers and teacher assistants serving in government schools and teachers of approved private schools and privens, presently serving, are eligible to apply. In this regard, the applicants must have formal appointment letters. You need three passes in one sitting at the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination  and Credit passes  in some GCE O/L subjects to apply these courses. Selection procedure includes following criteria.

• On receiving the applications, number of entrants will be decided according to based on the application receive. Eligibility to follow each subject/field will be notified in t he Government Gazette.
• Trainees will be enrolled according to their 'Z' scores obtained at the GCE/AL to all subjects except English, ICT and Physical Education.
• For English and ICT, applicants eligible with GCE/OL and GCE/AL, should have been appeared to the tendency test held by the Department of Examinations.  They will be admitted according to the scores that they obtained at this tendency test.
• Regarding to the Physical Education, applicants eligible with GCE/OL and GCE/AL will be admitted giving priority to their scores obtained for talents in sports.  Schedule of sports and scores considering to grant such scores will be notified in the Government Gazette.

Syllabus available at each  National Colleges of Education according to the medium.

Duration of the Training is 3 years. It consists of two years residential institutional training in the National College of Education and one year internship training while being attached to a school. During the residential training period a trainee will be provided with meals and lodging facilities and monthly allowance. During the Internship year also includes monthly allowance. Applicants successfully completing this Course will be considered for appointments as teachers based on the availability of vacancies on Education Zonal Level in difficult districts.