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| Sunday, 8 January 2006 |
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Editorial |  |
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Editor, Sunday Observer. E-mail: [email protected] Snail mail : Sunday Observer, 35, D.R.Wijewardana Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Telephone : 94 11 2429239 / 2331181 Fax : 94 11 2429230 The mess that is education Education in Sri Lanka is plagued by scandal. Last year we saw a vigorous campaign against school principals alleging corruption in admission to Grade 1 in state schools. There was even a witch-hunt outside the normal legal procedures. The much publicised and lauded remedy was to hand over Grade I admissions to the Ministry of Education. They did not fare any better. Even up to now the process of selection is not over. The much flaunted computer program was found to be not that perfect. It was even unable to trace a multiple entry. Documents submitted by parents were not verified by independent and official sources contrary to promises made. The parents did not have even an opportunity to appear in person in case of appeal. Everything was supposed to be handled by a non-erring computer but the story going round was that minions in the Ministry could vet the data to suit their personal interests. Ultimately with the change of Government the whole exercise was handed back to the school principals who are struggling to beat a deadline to begin classes by January 19. That does not solve the original problem of corruption at the school level. It is yet to be addressed. The losers were the parents and the children. The winners were private schools, which managed to enrol a larger number due to the anxiety of parents that their children may be left without a school. Even Provincial schools had to delay processing applications due to the long delay in finalising admissions to National schools. There is no doubt that Ministry bureaucrats, some of whom are no longer seen, had too much on their plates which they were unable chew. This is yet another case of bureaucratic centralism while paying lip- service to devolution. The most recent episode in the education mess is the inaccuracy of the Z-score results attributed now to a faulty computer. We hope the authorities will be able to identify the culprit or culprits without pinning the blame on an inanimate computer. If the computer was faulty the fault lies surely in the person who used it knowing very well that it was faulty. In actual fact this amounts to playing pandu with the future of several thousand brilliant youth of the country. Now there is going to be a complete re-assessment of the Z-score system. We hope that the baby will not be thrown with the bath water to please any top bureaucrat or a politician and our learned experts will have only the interests of the students at heart when they decide on the issue. In spite of the rhetoric that flowed from the pulpits and podiums public investment on education has been dwindling over the years so that Sri Lanka is at the bottom when comparing the expenses on education as a percentage of the GDP even in South Asia. The biggest drawback in our education system is the plight of over 70,000 youth annually who fail to gain admission to the Universities despite passing the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination. There is no comprehensive tertiary education program that could provide them with an alternative path to higher education. There are hardly any avenues open to youth to enter the University system to update their knowledge after entering the labour market without University qualifications. The deficiencies in the University system are so great that none of our Universities has received a high ranking even in the Asian region. While their counterparts in India and elsewhere are developing as centres of excellence our Universities are stagnating or even deteriorating in quality. Outdated course content, rigid compartmentalization of knowledge streams, lack of resources, innovation, research and quality teaching plague our Universities. There has been below average interest shown in developing technological education. Education expenses should be considered as an investment on the development of human capital. In the knowledge economy that is developing no country could move forward without highly qualified skilled personnel. Sri Lanka is blessed with intelligent youth. Almost all our youth who venture abroad secure the best results in academic and professional performance. The brain drain has caused our scientists to migrate to the developed world where they hold high positions in state of art research institutions and in the academia. Unfortunately we have been unable to recognise and reward talent. Recognition is more on allegiance than on talent or skill. The sooner the mess in education is cleared the better for the country. |
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