Enriching free education system, a priority -Minister Bandula
Gunawardena
* The school network is responsible for
creating thugs, hooligans as well as scholars, scientists and
professionals.
* The challenge before us is to create
children who love their teachers, motherland and mother tongue
* We must move out of the examination
centered education system to a student based education system and bring
students back to their schools
* We need to expand edu cation opportunities
to remote areas in the country and restore the free education system
which has been privatised through the tuition field and enrich the free
education system
By Ranil WIJAYAPALA
A tuition master turned politician Bandula Gunawardena has always
been a hot topic in the media whatever the position he held in politics.
|
Minister Bandula
Gunawardena |
Following his successful attempts to drive the trade sector in the
country to face the challenges posed by the market economy, he was
entrusted with the Education Ministry, which he considers a subject he
can deal with effectively.
As Education Minister he is confronted with many challenges. Bringing
back the glory of free education to the school system, creating a
generation who respects and loves their country, mother tongue and human
beings expanding equal education opportunities to the remote parts of
the country are the challenges ahead of him.
In an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer, Minister Bandula
Gunawardena appeals that political leaders and ministers do not
interfere with his Ministry with regard to school admissions and
transfers in the education sector as it would hamper his efforts of
streamlining the sector.
Following are the excerpts of the interview_
Q:As an economist, you succeeded to a great extent with your
earlier Ministry. Yours is a very important ministry. As an
educationist, what will be your main challenges in the New Year ?
A: Subjectwise and with practical knowledge there are three
sectors that I can handle Trade and Commerce, Education and Finance. I
handled the Trade Ministry which had the most challenging tasks in this
country. The soaring oil prices in the world market, world food
scarcity, global recession due to the collapse of major economies were
three challenges we had to confront. I came under severe media criticism
and had to wade through all of them sarcastic remarks and all the blame
from the people. No one else would have been subjected to such media
criticism, such a hot topic for cartoonists.
Facing all these challenges I created a state sector to compete with
the market economy. I created 14 Economic Centres, expanded CWC network
to 200 branches, 360 Coop Cities, 1125 Mini Co-op Cities, imposed
maximum prices to essential commodities, price formulas were drawn for
some commodities and the Special Commodity Levy Act was passed to make a
balance in the taxation system imposed on some commodities. My Ministry
was able to reduce price increases of essential commodities to a one
digit figure from 28 per cent.
The Education Ministry is a bigger challenge. Earlier, I had to deal
with lifeless things like onions, potatoes, rice. Now its human lives.
The student population is around four million. Some 10,000 schools and
225,000 teachers and principals serve them. Every citizen of this
country is related to a school student as a parent, grand parent. If
newspaper has a report on education its circulation goes up. These
children are the future of our country. Parents try to give their
children the best education they can. They want their children to
achieve what they could not. So, this subject is very sensitive. Parents
hand over their children to schools. The school network is responsible
for creating thugs, hooligans as well as scholars, scientists and
professionals. Children are moulded in these categories, during their
school tenure.
Free education introduced by C.W.W. Kannangara for all to reach the
highest level in society through the Central College concept has now
been disrupted with West imitated system. Instead of a student centered
system, examination cantered education has been infused creating a
problematic situation.
The three major examinations - Grade V scholarship G.C.E. (O/L) and
(A/L) are like three supporting stones of a hearth. Parents think the
entire life of children depend on these examinations. They cannot
identify any other talent of the students due to this examination
centered education system.
|
Meet Bandula Gunawardena
Name Bandula Gunawardena Date of birth March 15, 1953 Education Rajasinghe Vidyalaya
Hanwella and Lumbini
Vidyalaya, Colombo Graduation University of Sri Jayawardenapura
(Business Admin.) Profession Private tutor 1975 to 2000 1989 Entered politics from Mahajana
Eksath Peramuna and
elected to Parliament from
Colombo district 1994 Lost Parliamentary seat 1999 - 2000 Member of Western
Provincial Council 2000 Elected to Parliament from
People's Alliance 2000 Crossed over and joined
United National Party 2001 to 2004 Cabinet Minister
of Rural Economic Development
and Deputy
Minister of Finance 2007 Joined UPFA Government under
President Mahinda Rajapaksa
along with 17 UNP MPs 2007 to April 2010: Cabinet Minister
for Trade, Marketing Development,
Co-operatives and Consumer Services April 2010 to-date: Minister of Education Present political party: Sri Lanka Freedom Party;
Chief Organiser for Homagama
electorate |
Those who fail the exams are considered unwanted by society and begin
to hate society. Moral values inculcated vanish due to this examination
centered education. Respect for human life vanish. This situation was
experienced during the insurgencies in the South and the North.
Parents want to admit their children to popular schools and prepare
them for examinations. They need a vehicle to transport for their
children and provide cellular phones for them. They placed their
confidence on tuition rather than the school system.
So the challenge before us is to create children who love their
teachers, motherland and mother tongue. We have to create a moral value
based society which respects humanity. We have to move out of the
examination centered education system to a student based education
system and bring students back to their schools. We need to expand
education opportunities to remote areas in the country and restore the
free education system which has been privatised through the tuition
field and enrich the free education system. These are the challenges
before us in the next year.
Q: What steps is the Education Ministry taking to expand equal
education opportunities in remote areas?
A: We have to improve physical and human resources in remote
schools with a better management. So we have begun improving 1,000
secondary schools countrywide to have at least one such school in each
Secretariat Division, qualitative improvement in the schools education
system by improving the facilities in those schools from grade six to
13. We have already sought the assistance of the World Bank,
philanthropists and donors to make this effort a reality. With the
improvement of these schools we can take over the responsibility of each
and every student who completes primary education at any school when
they reach grade six. We are preparing better schools for secondary
education in every part of the country including in the North and East.
Q: What is the Ministry involvement in the grade one admission
process?
A: The Education Ministry is not involved. We do not accept
appeals. We do not issue letters. We will intermediate only when there
are bribery and corruption chances coming up. We will join the Police to
investigate if parents forward cases to the Ministry after making a
complaint at a Police station. We have a special program.
Q: Are there no problems regarding the school admission
system?
A: We do not need to bother about Grade One admissions as we
are to have better secondary schools for each four to five primary
schools. It does not matter where primary education is had.
Q: What about the standard of education at these primary
schools?
A: There is no problem. The best primary education is given in
remote area schools. If we analyze the results of an examination the
best results are from village schools. Because teachers teach with much
affection in those schools.
Q: What steps have you taken to increase the pass rate at
examinations?
A: The G.C.E. (O/L) is the first examination to be held after
I assumed duties as Minister. We have increased the time given for the
maths paper as there were complaints that adequate time was not given
for this paper. We increased duration for the second paper from two to
two and half-hours. Prior to the O/L examination, the Examination
Department issued model papers for all subjects and distributed them in
CDs to Chief Ministers to be printed at provincial level and distributed
among students, free of charge. We conducted 1,250 seminars countrywide
free of charge. Teachers and lecturers for these seminars participated
without fees. Education Publications Department (EPD) printed all past
examination papers and marketed them among students. The correct answers
for the question papers issued for seminars were printed and
distributed. For students to purchase these books easily, we established
EPD branches countrywide.
As a result we expect that O/L results will see a change for the
better. We will increase these measures each year to further increase
pass rates among.
We will have teachers for all A/L classes after transferring the
surplus of teachers from national schools. From February we will start
seminars with the participation of university lecturers and professors.
After appointing the board of the National Institute of Education we
will take measures to remove primitive types of lessons which have
become a burden to students from the A/L syllabuses. We will maintain
international standards.
Q: During the O/L examination, there were reports that some
centres did not receive an adequate number of question papers and that
question papers were not received on time?
A: These are minor matters. Those who complain have not
understood the seriousness of the situation. When we issue examination
papers to 4,000 to 5,000 examination centres problems of this nature
might arise. Sri Lanka has a cartoon culture that thinks that the
Education Minister should go home when there is a shortage of 100
question papers at one examination centre. There are persons who have
entered the media field without a proper education. They look at things
in hatred and highlight minor matters as big issues.
What we need a better education system where thinking ability develop
from Grade One. I was the topic for many cartoonist when I was Trade
Minister. They target not on an institution but a person. They attack me
personally. I do not care about the statement issued by teachers
organisations funded by foreign NGOs. I stood with the students of the
country and also the teachers who affectionately teach them, but not
with those organisations issuing statements with political motives and
for dollars.
Q: What is your opinion about providing English medium
education at schools?
A: I have no intention to divide the education system to
English and Sinhala mediums. We are promoting bilingual education. We
teach a few subjects in English from Grade 6 onwards. I do not accept
that we have failed if we don't learn in the English medium. Take the
Chinese, Japanese and Koreans as examples. They think in their mother
tongues and not in a foreign language. We also should think in our
mother tongue. As a tool we should learn English, to build a human
resource suited to international standards. We expect to improve English
language skills and also trilingual skills.
Apart from that we are also taking steps to teach English for all
citizens under the English for all programs. We will adopt distance
learning methods to enable people to learn English via media.
We have sought assistance from UNESCO. A team from India has already
arrived in Sri Lanka and conducted a series of discussions to conduct
those classes via satellites.
Q: What steps have you taken to include vocational subjects in
the curricula?
A: Life Skills is to be introduced to the O/L examination as
an optional subject. It will be divided into three fields and students
can select one area for study. Technology, Agriculture,
Entrepreneurship.
At the A/L we hope to introduce a Technology stream in addition to
Science, Maths, Commerce and Arts. Say we have 4,323 students with 3 A
passes and we have more than 23,000 students who had failed all three
subjects. We are not going to ignore them. Minister Dullas Alahapperuma
will send letters to include them in vocational training centres.
Q: What are the steps taken to improve the nutrition level of
school students?
A: In low income generating areas we have taken steps to
provide the mid-day meal with support of the parents and past pupils'
associations. Due to this program the nutrition levels of these children
have improved. School canteens have become one of the centres which
distribute vector carrying food items. Jointly with the Health Ministry
steps have been taken to stop selling food stuff which would block the
nutrition level, from the next term of school.
Q: Is the Ministry to introduce a new school bag also?
A: The Ministry along with the Health Ministry has introduced
a school bag which is not detrimental to the health of the student. The
EPD has introduced this school bag.
Q: Is it compulsory for students to have this bag?
A: No. Students can even carry their books in an 'Panmalla'
which is an environmental friendly bag. They can carry their books in
their hands. If someone makes a complaint to us saying it is compulsory,
we will immediately transfer the school principal.
Q: What is the current position of the transfers within the
education sector?
A: An abnormal situation has been created. They have not been
done according to service requirements. Officers have been transferred
due to threats and influences. School children of remote areas have been
subjected to severe injustices. In some remote schools there have been
no teachers for years. They cannot produce good results due to shortage
of teachers. The transfer policy has not been properly implemented. An
excessive number of teachers are in schools which have more facilities.
There are some teachers who have served in National Schools for 20 to 25
years continuously. The Provincial Chief Minister made an effort to
implement the teacher transfer policy without political influence and
there is improvement in provincial schools. I obtained special Cabinet
approval to transfer teachers who had served in National schools for
more than eight years. We are taking steps to have a balanced number of
teachers in each school with no disruption of education to enable every
school to get the services of talented teachers and principals, to
remove hatred from those teachers for serving at one school for long
periods. We are going to implement the teacher transfer policy without
political influence. I have requested all political leaders and
politicians not to interfere school admissions and transfers of teachers
and principals. I have requested that I be allowed to fulfil the
responsibility given by the President and they have cooperated.
Q: Regarding the recruitment of qualified teachers, sometimes
they have basic educational qualifications but are not talented
teachers. What steps have you taken to rectify this situation?
A: Regarding the recruitment of qualified teachers to the
teachers service through competitive examinations. We hand over to those
teachers the education of our children. Some of those who pass these
examinations are not in a position to teach students. They can't mould
children to face future challenges.
We recruited 500 English medium teachers through a competitive
examination. They have graduated in the English medium and were
recruited after interview by university professors. They were sent to
schools after a basic training at the Peradeniya English Teacher
Training School.
More than 100 of them refused to accept appointments as they realised
that they cannot teach in school classrooms. President Rajapaksa advised
us since teaching is a very responsible profession although we recruit
graduates as teachers we should train them for one year at the Teacher
Training Schools as we are sending them to take responsibility of human
beings and mould them to face future challenges. Graduates have to
undergo a compulsory one year training and they will be absorbed into
the permanent teacher service considering their performances during the
training period. If we provide them teaching appointments when they
demand jobs from us it would be a curse we thrust upon the future
generations.
Q: Will it be full time training?
A: We will train them at Faculties of Education, Teacher
Training Schools, National Institute of Education, Leadership Training
Institute at Meepe.
Q: What is the position about formulating the education
policy?
A: Over one thousand persons have given evidence before the
Parliament Select Committee on National Education Policy. University
professors, professionals, scholars, political leaders, religious
leaders, and representatives from various organisations have given
evidence before the Parliament select committee.
We are going to formulate a new education policy and pass a new
education act in 2011.
|