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by Rajmi Manatunga

The introduction of English medium education has always been a tricky issue in the Sri Lankan education system. The idea which was put into practice only last year by the Education Ministry through the introduction of English medium for A\L science subjects was received with a flood of criticism.

With the Education Ministry drawing up plans to make it compulsory for Ordinary Level students to study three subjects in English from this year, the question whether English medium education is feasible or equitable given the largely Sinhala-based Sri Lankan education, has popped up again.

The education system of Sri Lanka which was conducted entirely in the English medium during the colonial period was abolished in 1960 through an Act which intended to introduce 'Sinhala and Tamil' only education to State controlled educational institutions. The move was hailed by the so-called nationalist politicians of the country who were behind the implementation of the Sinhala Only Act in 1956 and the Swabhasha policy.

No doubt the move was welcomed by the majority of people of this country as well, who were psychologically manacled by over a century of British imperialism. It was a fresh start, an ideal way to get rid of the colonial mentality. But as time passed changes took place. The nationalised economy was replaced with privatisation, leading to a free economy. The adoption of the open economy concept in the late 1970s enabled private investors to play a major role in the local market. Yet, the national education remained static and followed the age old Swabhasha policy.

Thus, by 1980 we find on one hand a highly privatised local economy that demands the international medium of English for its global operation as opposed to the stagnant Sinhala and Tamil only education policy of the government. This mismatch caused a whole lot of problems. Sinhala only education was no longer sufficient to obtain good jobs and people gradually began to feel the need for English education. Therefore, no matter what the political agenda behind the decision to abolish English medium education was, it is certainly time for us to look back and see whether the decision has in any way contributed to the advancement of the national education system in the past 40 years.

The main criticism directed at initiatives of the present government to reintroduce English medium education is that it encouraged class discrimination and broadened the gap between the haves and have nots when education was in fact meant to bridge such disparities between different social segments.

This argument straight away takes us to the ground reality of Sri Lankan society where English has for the most part become a luxury enjoyed by the affluent class whereas for the majority of poor people regard it as an emblem of wealth and a menace which deprives them of lucrative and respectable employment.

The opposition to the move has been further intensified by the decision to introduce the method firstly to a limited number of selected schools that have the capacity to teach the main subjects in English. No doubt, this category of 'selected schools' specified by the ministry will invariably consist of Colombo schools and other elite schools in the suburbs which have adequate resources and accessible only to the rich. Therefore, what has become a puzzle for most people is whether the true objective of reintroducing English medium education could be achieved by initiating it only in the so-called 'selected schools'.

The counter argument put forward by the framers of the educational reforms and educational authorities is that the reforms aim at decreasing any disparities prevalent between races and social classes rather than broadening such gaps.

Education Minister Karunasena Kodituwakku: "The exclusion of other languages as medium of instruction after independence created a division and introduced a situation of 'apartheid' in education, separating children on an ethnic basis from their formative ages. The ill-effects of the Swabhasha policy were further entrenched with the nationalisation of schools in 1961. Under the new educational reforms science subjects are taught in English medium in 64 schools and certain subjects from year six as well. The standard of English at the National Colleges of Education will also be improved".

The other major question pertaining to the English medium education is whether it is feasible given the current lack of physical and human resources required for a change of medium in education. Most parents have a big 'no' to this question, knowing too well how difficult it is for them to find even a qualified teacher of English language for their children. So do most students from rural schools who suffer endlessly from the lack of English teachers.

Commenting on this Minister Kodituwakku said: "The biggest constraint faced by the ministry in this is the lack of teachers. There are nearly 25,000 English teachers in the cadre at present and a major effort will be made to upgrade their English proficiency. They will be classified on the basis of a diagnostic test and appropriate training programmes will be arranged with the co-operation of universities, foreign agencies and non government establishments."

At present the National Institute of Education is training teachers who are to be employed as teachers of English medium. A monitoring unit will ensure that only qualified and trained teachers are used for English medium education.

Since the reforms have been introduced only to students of the science stream in the Advanced Level class and only to a handful of subjects in the Ordinary level curricular the problem of finding qualified teachers is not as grave as it would have been if all subjects were to be taught in English, a spokesman for the Education ministry said.

Asanka, an undergraduate held a different opinion. "A change in the medium of instruction is neither easy to tackle with nor completely feasible. One has to accept the fact that the country does not have enough teachers to introduce English medium education to all schools and it is also true that the introduction of reforms firstly to the so-called 'elite' schools, intentionally or not, is discriminatory. But we have to remember that the situation was not a bit different in 1960 when the government decided to abolish the well-rooted English medium of instruction. Surely there were not many teachers capable of Sinhala medium education. But after all, we 'could' change into a Sinhala and Tamil only education and build it up to an internationally recognised system."

Parents in general are also in favour of a change in the medium of instruction, being the people who are mostly affected by the successes and downfalls of their children. Who would like to see his or her child on whose education all their earnings were spent, failing to achieve success in life due to the lack of a knowledge of English.

"English is a must for everybody in the world today, not only for the purpose of communication but also for other activities in our day to day life. This is clearly indicated by the fact that most of the good jobs in our country are now grabbed by those who have studied abroad or in International schools. Therefore, if the English medium education could be properly re-introduced to government schools it will greatly benefit the underprivileged segment of the society," a parent said.

There is no doubt that our younger generation should be provided a sound knowledge of English in order to enable them survive in this fast moving world.

It is also accepted that a brief study of 40 minutes of English per day will not suffice. This is where English medium education could help. But, at the same time there are big question marks as to where we should begin, how to find resources and which method to adopt. These are problems that should be solved at the administrative level in consultation with the opinions and aspirations of the people of the country.

When Nehru was asked just after India's independence whether he was going to change the English medium education he said they will think about it in another 60 years' time. It will be interesting for us in Sri Lanka to reflect today whether the change of medium in the 60s was a far sighted decision or a blunder purely based on political gain.

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