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Students groomed to face challenges - Minister Gunawardena

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena, who ventured into politics as a popular tuition master in economics, has now become one to steer the education system in the country. He has been entrusted with the task of guiding the students to fall in line with the current world trends and accept challenges. He has been confronted with many problems in the education sector. The Sunday Observer interviewed him amidst his busy schedule for his solutions to such problems. Following are excerpts of the interview:

Q: What are the steps taken to address the grade I school admission problem? Will new proposals reduce the chances for corruption?

A: The Ministerial Sub Committee appointed by the President has taken a policy decision that the admission of students to schools is not a function of the Education Ministry, and it is a function of the school itself. However, the Government is bound to provide a school for each and every student seeking admission to grade one. As you know, no government has the ability to admit all the students to a handful of popular schools in the country. It is an impossible task. Therefore, we have devised a system that was similar to the earlier selection method for grade I admission. We have setup a board comprising school principal, vice Principal, principal of the primary section, a representative from the school development board on behalf of the parents and a member of the Old Boys Association to select the students. The interview board will make the selections in a transparent manner without any political involvement. If anybody alleges that someone has asked for money to get his child admitted to the school or else if some one has forged the documents, his responsibility as a citizen and as a parent is to lodge a complain with the Police. Secondly, they have to send a copy of their complaint to the Minister of Education, under registered post.

Q: Can Education Ministry alone perform this task?

A: The Ministry along with the Police and the Defence Ministry will take steps to investigate complaints to minimise corruption and irregularities taking place in grade one admissions. This will be embodied in the new Education Act to be presented in Parliament in the near future. We need the support of the public. If someone, says, that he got his child admitted to the school after paying Rs. 500,000 or so to some one that person is treated as the first offender. According to law the acts of giving bribes, and taking bribes, are punishable. We are holding interviews till September 15, 2010 for applications for grade one admissions.

Q: But many parents want to admit their children to the best schools? A: Parents should be aware that we can admit only 420 students to the Royal College, 210 Visakha Vidyalaya, 252 Ananda College, 210 Nalanda College and 126 Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya. There is a maximum number we can take. There are about 2000 to 3000 applicants for admission to these schools. Only 14 per cent of the applicants can be admitted to these schools. Therefore, the remaining 86 percent applicants whether they make appeals or file cases, there is no room in these schools to accommodate them. However, the parents are allowed to make a second appeal as well. So the Ministry for Education does not intervene at all. The Appeal board will be formed under the Chairmanship of a principal of another school. Parents will have to admit their children to schools closer to their residence, if they fail in their appeals.

Q: Do they have schools which can provide a better education for the students?

A: Parents have a false idea about these popular schools. I am saying this because, recently we had a function at the Temple Trees under the patronage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa to award gold medals and certificates to the best students in the country. Most of the beneficiaries were from the schools outside Colombo. In the Grade five scholarship exam, G.C.E. (O/L) or A/L exam the best results are reported from the schools outside Colombo. Knowing this very well, parents are competing themselves to get their children admitted to these schools. The competition is there only for 52 schools. So it is a big mistake to make it a national problem.

Q: What is the solution for this problem?

A: In the Mahinda Chinthana we have a solution for this. We intend to create more popular schools throughout the country. The President will present these proposals in the next Budget. He will introduce a programme to develop 1,000 schools countrywide equipped with physical and human resources, from Grade 6 to Grade 13. There will be one popular school with all facilities for five to six primary level schools. For the proposed 1000 schools the World Bank alone has agreed to provide Rs. 60 million. Therefore, the problem will be solved within three to four years.

Q: Earlier similar programmes were introduced by various successive governments. Did they fail to achieve their objectives?

A: The primary and secondary level schools which were developed under those programmes are successful. President Mahinda Rajapaksa had established a school called Ruhunu Vijayaba Vidyalaya in Beliatte. It became very popular and one of its students scored the highest marks at year 5 scholarship examination. I am also setting of a new school called Rajakeeya Mahinda Vidayala in Homagama from Grade 6 to 13. Primary schools of this nature such as Narahenpita Yasodara Balika Vidyala and Asoka Vidyalaya close to Ananda College Colombo have become popular.

Q: The North and the East have just emerged from the conflict. What are the steps taken to develop schools and other educational facilities in those regions?

A: Minister Basil Rajapaksa following the end of the conflict launched a major development drive under the Northern Spring programme. Buildings of a large number of schools were rehabilitated. Text books and uniforms and many resources were provided to those schools. MP Namal Rajapaksa and I went to Kilinochchi and opened a new computer science laboratory. Under the programme to develop 1000 schools, the North and East will also benefit. Therefore, we can make considerable changes within the school system countrywide. We are sure we can provide better equipped schools to students once they reach the Grade five or Grade Six.

Q: You have proposed a Near Pass for the O/L examination. Would you explain it? What are your other proposals? Do you plan to revamp the system of school examinations?

A: There is a lack of teachers in remote areas. Teachers appointed to those schools do not stay there. Those schools do not have maths, science and English teachers. There is no shortage of teachers. Sri Lanka has one teacher for every 17 students. Even the developed world does not have such number of teachers. Therefore, we have only an imbalance of teachers in schools. Although the remote schools are lack teachers, there is an over staff in popular schools.

Some students get only average knowledge on maths. But there are students with various skills in arts subjects. They also sit for the O/L examination along with other students. But, when they fail in mathematics thay can’t follow the Advance Level classes in dancing, music or any other arts subject! They have to give up their school education. It was proposed with the intention of providing those students who could obtain at least 25 to 34 marks in the maths, with Near Pass, I along with the Examinations Commissioner and a panel of education specialists introduced this system enabling them to offer Arts subjects at the Advanced Level Examination. The Cabinet however decided to refer this proposal to a Cabinet Sub Committee comprising Ministers S.B. Dissanayake and Dullas Alahapperuma for further study.

Q: A large number of students fail in all or most of the subjects at the G.C.E O/L examination. What can be done about this?

A: There is no increase in the number of students failed in all subjects. Compared to the results of the O/L examination ten years ago, the position relating all the subjects has since been improved. The endeavour made by the Education sector has seen a qualitative improvement. I do not contribute to the notion that the education sector has collapsed. Because, the funds allocated to the education sector has been largely increased and it has seen a qualitative improvement. In the recent in World Bank report stated that Sri Lanka has failed to indicate the measures taken to improve the education system in the country. It is because the agencies such as World Bank, ADB and SIDA are providing assistance for the improvement of the education sector of the country.

Q: There are many problems with regard to transfers of teachers and principals. Many rural schools lack the required number of teachers, How do you address these problems?

A: These days we are taking a census of teachers and principals. The Government has also taken steps to rectify the teacher shortage in schools. We conducted a competitive examination to recruit 554 English teachers recently. We have called for applications to recruit 3174 aesthetic subject teachers. We will take steps to recruit teachers passing out from the Colleges of Education. By end of this year another examination will be held to recruit Sinhala medium graduates. Therefore, as a policy, we are continuing the recruitment of teachers to fill teacher vacancies.

After rectifying the teacher shortage we will take action on teacher transfers. I believe that teachers transfers should also be made in the way the transfers are done in other service extending to entire education lecture as well. In the Education Ministry itself there are officers who are there for over 23 years. There were more than 10 officers who had been working in the Ministry for more than ten years. According to Mahinda Chinthana, even a Minister cannot hold the same portfolio for more than six years. Ministers should also be given different Ministries.

After rectifying the teacher shortage we will be taking steps to streamline the teacher transfer process. There is a teacher transfer policy at present. The problem is the non implementation of that policy. Therefore, we hope to include a section in the new Education Policy to the effect that teachers transfers policy should also be implemented without political prejudice.

I am of the opinion that the teachers should also be transferred at least every six years like other professionals.

Q: There are allegations of many shortcomings in the English teaching at Government schools, such as teachers being not fluent enough in English. Any plans to address their problem?

A: Presidential Advisor Sunimal Fernando has taken steps to establish a special unit at the Education Ministry to improve English education and information technology in schools. We have a shortage of 900 odd English medium teachers. That is an imbalance! These English medium teachers have also been given special training by the 100 teachers trained in the University in Hydrabad in India. We will take steps to improve that training process further. Until such time, all professionals have come to an agreement with me to teach the A/L students after the school time. They have come forward after their services free. Accountants, Engineers and Doctors have agreed to teach either in their old schools or at the schools closer to their working places in the afternoon and they will continue it for two years. They have come forward at a time when there is a new climate in the country that we should give the best education for the students enabling them to reach new heights in their respective fields.

Q: There were many allegations regarding school examinations and wrong term test papers etc. What action have you taken in this regard?

A: We have changed the system. We have given freedom to the teachers of the respective schools to prepare the question papers covering the syllabus of the respective subject. Apart from this, when teachers cover their syllabuses in their schools, the Examinations Department will conduct workshops countrywide to educate the teachers in providing them with model question papers. This will be launched from September 11 starting from the Maths subject targeting the O/L examination. In September, October and November, workshops will be conducted on different subjects. Teachers with specialised knowledge will conduct these workshops and seminars. Examinations Department will provide them with model question papers. We will be getting sponsors to bear the cost incurred for this. For A/L we will start from February next year and those workshops and seminars will be continued for eight months till August. In addition we have taken steps to educate teachers about the weaknesses in answering the question papers after studying the way the students have answered question papers at each exam. We have given textbooks for Directors of respective subjects and relevant teacher instructors highlighting the ways of educating the students to answer questions.

Q: How can you develop the Teachers’ and Principals’ Service? What are the additional benefits that this Government has granted them?

A: We intend to improve the Teacher Training Centre in Meepe to provide management training for principals and education specialists. We are seeking aid from foreign agencies for this endeavour. Even at present foreign school principals are also being trained at Meepe. Apart from this we intend to upgrade the National Institute of Education to a higher level enabling the teachers and principals to receive better training during the service and also to appreciate and value their productivity levels and to reward the teachers who are working with dedication in their class rooms with financial and other benefits. That is not to give only certificates appreciating their service!

Q: How successful is bilingual education - the Teaching of Tamil to Sinhala students and Sinhala to Tamil students?

A: There is a shortage in Tamil medium teachers as we just emerged from the conflict. Teachers who teach other subjects are deployed to teach Tamil in some schools. It will take some time for us to train Tamil medium teachers.

Q: Many so-called international schools are mushrooming all over the country. Does the Government have any regulatory control over them?

A: Yes, these international schools should be subjected to a regulatory mechanism. They should conform to certain standards and should be subjected to the rules and regulations of the Government. That will also be included in the Education Policy that we would formulate very soon.

Q: You were in the tuition field in the past. Is there a negative impact on school education as a result of tuition classes?

A: Two decades ago there were skilled teachers who conducted tuition classes charging a just fee from the students. During that period students considered those teachers as deities. Now that era has gone!. The tuition field has become business at many places today. We started giving tuition charging only Rs. 10. Even those who could not pay that amount were given tuition free. Although it has become a business today I don’t think it is justifiable to blame the students for attending tuition classes as they are tied up to an advanced syllabus. It is rather impossible to cover the syllabus within school hour. They are not ready to take risks by experimenting with the system. So they have to go to tuition classes to face the competition. That is the reality. If we can provide them with an internationally accepted syllabus that can be covered properly within their school hours. They are not ready to take risks by experimenting with the system. So they have to go to tuition classes to face the competition. That is the reality. If we can provide them with an internationally accepted syllabus that can be covered properly within their school hours enabling them to pass the examinations that is what we should follow. Then there won’t be any necessity for the students to attend tuition classes.

Q: There were reports that 61 schools were closed last year. what were the reasons for this situation?

A: Those statistics are not true. We have to use statistics very carefully in the education sector. The real figure is very much higher than that. Reasons for the closure of the schools cannot be found in newspaper headlines. They should be studied in-depth with the assistance of the educationists and census specialists. The reasons for this situation had been studied. Due to family planning practiced for long, the children population has seen a drastic decrease over the past few decades. By the year 2025 the aged population will be higher than the youth population. Sri Lanka will be the first country in Asia with the largest aged population. Therefore, we will have to evolve new mechanisms to find solution not for the youth unrest but for the unrest among aged population as well. In the past student population increased by 32 per cent. Now it shows only 1.9 per cent increase. Although we open schools there are no students to attend those schools. On the other hand with the improvement of infrastructure facilities people have got easy access for the schools in towns.

There are “attitude problems” of the parents, inability to retain teachers in such schools, and the wrong positioning of schools contribute to this situation. The number of schools that have been closed is very much higher. But these figures cannot be given as they are being used as slogans in street protests. The actual situation is that, there are schools without students, but with teachers. They have not been treated as closed schools. There are schools with two or three students or with three or five students. So we can consider them also as closed schools. These statistics are being reported wrongly.

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