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by Anura K. T. De Silva

First and foremost, we need to get the fundamental assumption and purpose of this exercise clear as educational system initiatives need to be aligned with the country's short and long term economic plans and realize that hard decisions will have to be made for its transformation.

Secondly, we need to accept the current psychological frame of our society where these children come from. Since the colonial period, we have produced students suitable for a colonial outpost and in the recent past this misalignment has been coupled by the fear psychosis injected by certain political/terrorist organizations that has seriously destroyed the psyche of many children in our society.

We need to accept this reality to recognize the level we need to start applying the educational transformation, rather than start at the wrong place or take the safe way out by trying to duplicate someone else's educational system and fail utterly. Thirdly, we need to accept the unique responsibility towards society with education - only medium to uplift the 'wisdom' of society across all sectors from its current decay.

Hence, unlike other spheres of society, 'quality and objectives of education' should not be compromised as against what can be offered affordably at prevailing costs or even if international funding is threatened for taking initiatives for our own good for the future.

As a means of delivery, we will need to consider the fact that education has a cost and it cannot be offered at any cost to everyone. Those in need of financial assistance could receive such assistance and commit to repay upon graduation or employment with a reasonable interest component.

Objective: If the country's economy continues to focus purely on Foreign Direct Investments, we will probably produce adequate resources in quality and quantity who are conceptually weak to think of themselves and lack vision to meet the demands of a global world but are only capable functioning within closed environments backstabbing each other and following commands dispensed by colonial masters. But on the contrary, if the country plans to cultivate its true national resources as a priority to create indigenous wealth, existing human capital will have to be transformed drastically to produce physically, mentally and spiritually strong, persons who believe in themselves and have courage to take steps in what they consider is right.

In addition, the human resources we develop will have to become more sensitive and appreciative of our own culture, art, literature and environment, linked to our real heritage by resurrecting our indigenous values before the time of colonization.

Scope: Thus far, our overall education systems have been built to develop resources for colonial masters and this I consider as the core reason for the failure of all our systems. Even those who become teachers, doctors, engineers, politicians, lawyers etc., have clearly demonstrated the failure of our core system when we try to do anything together for a purpose.

Therefore, a serious transformation of our system is required to produce a society with wisdom, whether they become farmers, carpenters, professionals or drivers of public transport. To achieve such a task, we need to firstly define a serious mandatory period of education, so that a majority of the society completes schooling as people considerate of others and of themselves, have self discipline and self pride to pursue whatever interests them in a productive manner. Therefore, a priority needs to be given to develop a foundation set of values and skills for every human being so that they could learn practical aspects of life to be contributive human beings.

Educational model: Our overall educational system needs to offer citizens a more rounded knowledge of the world they live in today. Hence, it is recommended to include three main areas in the overall education structure: Core Education, that is heavy from early education and thins towards higher grades where the core values could be planted early in the children to become tolerant and caring people, away from traditional egoistical manners.

The second area would be General Education that needs to be thin at the early stages while it broadens towards the higher grades. The highest layer of the system needs to be Basic Skills and Integration that spreads from the tender ages to higher grades offering a variety of skills to discover their true potential in life. Core education: Religion, Mathematics, Citizenship, First, Second and a Third language. True History (recent and past), Social Studies (Environment), Sociology, Physical Education, Computer Sciences, Communication skills etc to realize human decency.

General education: Critical Thinking, Philosophical Thinking, Literature (First and Second language), Speech, Learning of the Physical Universe (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Geology, Geography etc), Humanities and the arts (Music, Art, Design, Dance, Classics, Foreign Languages etc), Social and Behavioral Sciences (Political Science, Government and Constitution, Economics, Civic rights etc) and Social integration (Learning of cross cultures, languages, opposite sexes, upcountry and low country values, Baratha Natyam and Kandyan Dancing, Home Science & Economics etc) to produce people indigenous to Sri Lanka.

Basic skills and integration: Information Communication Technology, Law, Health, Carpentry, Plumbing, Mechanics, Driving, Finance, Architecture, Communication, Engineering, Theatre arts, Fine Arts, Agriculture, Plantation, Comparative Religions etc as needed in our society.

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