Merit versus Status:

A vital ingredient for social progress

Recognition of merit:

by Indeewara Thilakarathne

Development and progress of civilization is more or less dependent on the fact that whether that society accords due recognition to merit and aptitude in realms of human activities.

This has been emphasized in ancient societies and was entrenched in the cast system which was based on guilds or group of persons specialized in a given profession.

According to orthodox ancient Hindu society, education was confined to higher castes and there was absolutely no means for the lower castes to climb up the social ladder. Education was prerogative, exclusively in the hands of Brahmins or the religious leader who took up the role of teachers. Ancient kings learnt letters from the Brahmins.

Brahmins serve as royal advisers. On matters of importance the king sought counsel from the chief Brahmin.

However, the ancient system of education ensured that Brahmins learnt philosophies and economics and became knowledgeable enough to teach and advice the kings while the people on the lower segment of the cast hierarchy learnt a craft.

The knowledge of that particular craft such as pottery, jewellery making have been handed down from generation to generation, thus leading to the formation of guilds specializing in crafts. Education, though divided on cast lines ensures a vital factor.

That is, the best skilled person occupies due position unfortunately, in this instance, by birth. So in ancient society, people have little or no chance of selecting a profession of their choice.

This system has been gradually changing giving way to a liberal system of education where students are being judged on the basis of their performance at competitive examinations and in the field of sports on their performance at particular events.

Although the purpose of the competitive examinations is to test the students' aptitude on given subjects, the examinations also ensures that best students be selected either to enter universities or to select a fitting stream in the case of Ordinary Level examinations.

This healthy practice has been practised in selecting candidates for the bureaucracy and for the other vital sectors of administration. It is not an exaggeration that Sri Lanka is bequeathed with a sound system of education as well as well-qualified and efficient bureaucrats at the time it gained independence from Britain.

Sri Lankan bureaucracy in general and foreign service in particular, had been one of the best in Asia and far ahead of their counterparts in other nations in this region. Perhaps the strength of Ceylon Civil Service (as Sri Lanka Administrative Service was known then) and the Foreign Service lie in the highly qualified and efficient officers and the independent and professional recruitment procedures which ensured that the cream of the educated will, in due course, get their positions in the civil service.

Though there might be discrepancies in the system of recruitment, the systems by and large remained independent of political interference and promotions were granted purely on the basis of merit and professional qualifications.

Merit versus status

The status accorded to professionals in Sri Lanka Administrative Service and other top position in Government and semi-Government Institutions has been to facilitate them in executing their duties and had never been crowns on heads of fools.

If one goes by the high profile Colonial administrators, it is obvious that little perks enjoyed by them helped serve the population under their purview.

For instance Leonard Wolf as Government Agent of Hambantota had covered the entire province on a push-cycle and on some occasions, on foot. What those officers concerned was how they should serve the people rather than enjoying the perk and status and perhaps abusing them to achieve their parochial objectives.

Unfortunately this has been changed for the worse following the independence at the hands of successive governments. Politicizing the public institutions and especially Foreign Service saw the steady decline in quality and the high calibre of the officers leaving behind absolute buffoons clad in suits.

Though there is no particular word for 'staffing' in public institutions and even in Editorial of English dailies and weeklies with incompetent persons.

This process has lead to a devastating effect on the entire social fabric leading to a steady deteriorating the general standards.

Unless society grant due recognition to merit and aptitude, there is no future for the nation.

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