Monday, 1 September 2003  
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A fillip for education

All parents hope to give their children a sound education. Thus, there is intense competition for the few thousands of grade one slots available each year at 'popular' or 'elite' schools in Colombo, Kandy, Galle and Kurunegala.

This positively indicates that there is a vast gap between an 'average' school and a so-called 'elite' school. These superior schools have all facilities for teaching and sports, a competent staff and a reputation for overall excellence, whereas in some remote schools, the children do not even have chairs to sit on.

This is certainly disconcerting for a country that boasts of good education indices compared to its neighbours. The existence of two types of school does not augur well for the student population, for every child should have equal access to quality education regardless of where he or she lives. Some candidates from remote schools have obtained excellent results at recent examinations even with limited facilities. One can imagine how these students will fare if they are provided with the facilities available in elite schools.

This is the rationale behind the government's Rs.400 million project to develop 400 schools islandwide to the level of popular schools. This commendable project is an essential investment in the nation's future. The schools will be developed under the Ministry's `Primary School Model Project'. Fifty schools will be developed at a cost of Rs. 50 million within this year. The results of the year-five scholarship examination and the dedication of the staff will be considered when selecting schools for this project.

The availability of 400 schools with all facilities will be an incentive for parents to veer away from the scramble for the elite schools. For example, a popular Colombo school that can accommodate only 400 year one students has received more than 5,000 applications. This would not have been the case if there were more schools on par with this Colombo school.

Education authorities should also consider the integration of schools with a very low student count, i.e. less than 100 students, into these 400 schools where possible. There are nearly 900 schools which have less than 100 students and it could be more cost-effective to amalgamate them with a bigger school in their respective areas.

The equitable distribution of teachers is another sore point. Some schools in Colombo and other major cities have excess staff for certain subjects, while there are no takers for the same subjects in 'difficult' schools. Education authorities should take immediate steps to address this problem.

Upgrading schools islandwide will also help curb corruption, which is rampant in the admissions process. A senior Education Ministry official disclosed recently that a large number of parents had submitted false documents to admit children to popular schools.

The CID has been called in to probe several such instances.

In addition, there are individuals within the school system who exploit schoolchildren and parents for their own gain.

There have been instances of school officials accepting 'monetary incentives' to facilitate admissions.

This is a clear violation of free education rules, as the schools are only allowed to charge stipulated school fees and a fee for the development fund for which official receipts should be issued.

In the end, buildings and equipment alone are not sufficient to make good schools. Good teachers and administrators can make a difference. They should be exposed to constant training and the latest educational techniques which can be harnessed to enrich the lives of the younger generation.

 

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