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The Storm's Eye by Prof.Rajiva Wijesinghe

'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:

Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!"

Much though I admire the Wednesday edition of the Daily News, I have to admit to some disappointment last week with the page on which this column appears. The editorial was about the introduction of English medium education, but was symptomatic of the rot that affects even our most distinguished journalists, in that they do not bother to check facts.

The editorial states 'the educational authorities of this country could be considered as having taken a bold and judicious step in deciding to impart instructions in English in respect of three subjects from years 6 to 10 in some selected public schools, beginning this year, on what seems to be a pilot project basis'.

It seems to be based on a news report from the previous day's Daily News which stated 'The Education Ministry is drawing up plans to introduce three subjects to be taught compulsorily in the English medium from this year in 168 government schools, Minister of Human Resources Development, Education and Cultural Affairs Dr Karunasena Kodituwakku said.'

Incidentally, that report states that much aid will be given to 'schools including those in the bordering areas in the North Central and Uva Provinces'. This suggests the Daily News knows more than we do about the way in which the peace/separatism talks are heading, but let me deal with that particular absurdity another time.

To return to the introduction of the English medium, I do not usually want credit for what I do, but this unashamed attempt to bestow credit elsewhere is really too much to tolerate. If dear old Kodituwakku can play at being Ozymandias, so can I, and with more understanding at least of what might nullify our efforts. English medium at secondary level was introduced to the system in 2002, following a Cabinet paper which I drafted in the middle of 2001 with the assistance of Jeevan Thiagarajah of the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies. This happened at the request of Dr Tara de Mel after we had discussed the possibility, which as the Daily News indicated was a very real priority.

Tara was worried about teachers and supervision, but I argued forcefully for the need to start immediately and she agreed, on condition I helped her with the project by working at the Ministry on a part-time basis. Though I was leaving Colombo the next morning, Jeevan cajoled me into drafting the paper that very evening and got it to Tara the next day.

Tara's enthusiasm and commitment thereafter deserve national respect, and in particular her skill in getting the paper through Cabinet, and setting in place the mechanisms that allowed us to proceed, while she also ran, and tried to reform, several other departments in the Ministry. The World Bank agreed, after I spent many hours drafting several more project proposals, to fund not only the Amity Schools materials project out of the General Education Project, but also English medium training at National Colleges of Education as well as Provincial levels out of the Teacher Education and Teacher Deployment Project.

Of course, the new minister must be thanked for agreeing that the project could go ahead, despite officials in the Ministry trying to dissuade him. Just last week I was told by a Principal in Wariyapola that a Ministry official had said the project would be stopped soon, since it benefited only Colombo children. The Principal confirmed, as I believe, that it was students outside Colombo who needed this most because they had no other facility for learning the language that was essential in the modern world, unlike children in Colombo.

I trust because of this perception, Mr Kodituwakku issued a circular that, contrary to Tara's original plan to pursue the project in a limited number of schools on an experimental basis, allowed any school that chose to adopt English medium. Fortunately, despite the Prime Minister's comment that the project might have to be stopped because the Ministry did not seem competent enough to carry it through, the demand of parents all over the country has ensured that it has continued.

With regard to materials, fortunately, preparation of these for Grades 6 and 7 was handed over to the English Association of Sri Lanka, which unlike any other project implementing organization charges nothing for its services. Despite this it was harassed throughout last year, perhaps because the low cost at which the books were produced made it clear how much profiteering was going on in the regular production of school books, for which a much higher unit cost was paid. Despite this harassment, in which Mr Kodituwakku also joined, I trust inadvertently, and delays in making payments that lost nearly half a year, EASL produced English medium materials in three subjects for Grade 6 in 2002 and also sent out materials for students beginning Grade 7 by the middle of January.

New books for Grade 6 however is another story. Though EASL handed over diskettes for Grade 6 materials to the Ministry in November last year, these books have not yet been printed, let alone distributed. As a result many new schools opting for English medium this year have to scrabble around finding texts from last year to photocopy. Meanwhile I was told on Friday that the Ministry claims there is a problem with the diskettes I gave them, which they discovered in looking at the proofs last week. The failure of the Ministry to take printouts of the diskettes in November, to check on the materials before sending them to a printer, is symptomatic of the total lack of professionalism, or care or concern for students, in the Ministry as a whole.

Still, entirely because of the dedication of the English Association, and my own unpaid labour, the materials will be available reasonably on schedule, barring total incompetence or hostility within the Ministry.

Training and monitoring however are quite different matters. The two programmes for which I obtained World Bank funding, through the TETD, have ground to a halt. Initial replies to the questionnaire I sent out with the Grade 7 books indicates that this is a crying need, but I believe it is only this week that the first training in this regard is scheduled by the Ministry. My query to the Director of the TETD Project, a delightful man called Galagoda, received the response 'With regard to the continuation of the English programmes a decision will be taken at a higher level of this Ministry'.

Since there is total confusion about the role of the Consultant in English, who no longer even has an office in the Ministry, the higher level Galagoda referred to must presumably be the Minister and the Secretary. Their plans were presented in the 'Daily News' on January 30th, in the Education Supplement that Tara had begun.

The main components in the English plan are those that date from her time, indicating that no further planning has taken place. Incidentally the IT Plan seems to be that devised a couple of years ago by the Consultant Tara employed, who now has a case against the Secretary pending on account of his dismissal.

In such a context, I have grave doubts whether the programme can continue in a way that will benefit those who need it most. I hope therefore that the 'Daily News', instead of relying on what people say, will investigate what it recognizes is an issue of national importance, and use the power of the media to ensure that the public interest continues to be served efficiently and effectively in this vital respect.

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