Archives

by Miran Perera

Today most parents complain that their children specially boys do not listen to them attentively whenever advised, are very boisterous, recalcitrant, rebellious and are averse to discipline.

This position prevails in most homes and the parents are at a dilemma as to how they could discipline their children to listen to parental advice.

In fact all parents do well with their children when they are small, but run into real confusion when they grow up, precisely because they prefer to exercise their freedom, without being dominated by their parents or elders.

Teenage is a latent period for boys and girls alike and the parents who have gone through the mill must understand the emotional feelings of their children.

Very often children from respectable and cultured families go on the wrong path due to their association with bad companions who indulge in vice and immoral behaviour.

Those who are addicted to drugs easily trap their friends in the bad habit and ruin their lives. Therefore unless the parents are vigilant as with whom their children keep company, there is always the danger of getting spoilt.

Unless there is good discipline at home children become incorrigible in their behaviour pattern. The home environment and social pressures also peer pressure make children difficult to absorb intelligently and with clarity what is being taught by their teacher.

If children are given the freedom of thought and conscience, most would show signs of maturity from an early age. With freedom children will be more analytical, more intelligent in the use of what has been taught, they will perceive and absorb to memory what has been taught with clarity.

The origins of our present university system are part of the effort starting in the last quarter of the 19th century. This took more than one form.

On the one hand a number of state sponsored institutions such as the Medical College, Law College, and the Technical College were established between 1870 and 1893 and quite later in this process the University College in 1921.

On the other hand a parallel development which arose directly out of the National Movement was the founding of the Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara pirivenas in 1873 and 1875, respectively, contemporary versions of traditional centres of higher learning.

These were the most visible and most advanced expressions of a number of similar institutions of the time that saw the renewal and modernisation of traditional systems of education and scholarship that had gone into decline about 150 or 200 years earlier but which as new research is beginning to show had not been completely disrupted.

Significantly the first Sri Lankan University degrees as opposed to the London degrees awarded by the University College were those offered by Vidyalankara in the late 1930s. Vidyodaya and Vidyalankara were established as modern universities in the 1950's.

Those are the historic roots of the system which today has 15 universities 23 institutions which award degrees, diplomas or professional qualifications and six post graduate institutes.

As there are a considerable number of aspiring higher educational students outside this system it is important that we re examine and reinterpret this history and try to understand what it did and did not achieve. It is a much wider system than it appears to be at first glance and has a longer and more complex history than we think.

Because of the present educational system in the country there is a large demand for computer education and business oriented studies. This is because of the speedy growth of the business sector and the ability to create more and more jobs in the garment and other business enterprises.

The most common accusation by the educationists and students alike is that the present university system does not impart to the students employment oriented training.

Therefore at present nearly 10,000 graduates remain unemployed. This accusation is partly a fallacy because in our University system there already exist study programs which train specifically students in their chosen professions.

Sadly these professions are termed prestigious and only the elite and those whose destiny direct them enter to study such programmes.

The Medical Colleges, The Law College, Engineering Faculties, Faculty of Architecture, Moratuwa, Surveyors institute, Institute of Accountants and all allied institutions to the above offer the students employment oriented study programmes. The numerous computer teaching establishments offer the same.

What is most lacking today as regards student discipline which could affect their studies either at home or at school is that children are not lured to listen to reason and follow the advice of their parents or elders.

Discipline can be a pleasant task to many parents who are able to guide their children to become mature happy adults. To discipline a child and to make him study and broaden his or her intellectual abilities the child should be taught to persevere and the teacher should have the patience to do so.

The teaching methods of today have vastly improved that the student is practically involved effectively in the learning process. Their skills are made practically to enhance while they are being trained to think intelligently to apply what they have learnt intelligently, and to solve problems intelligently.

To discipline a child is not to punish him for stepping out of line but to teach him the way he ought to go. Discipline therefore includes everything that parents do to help their children to be obedient. It is the challenge and the privilege in training children to become good citizens.

Educational reforms need to be implemented and correctly. About 4 years ago there were several meetings on our campuses on orders up to discuss them. The initial activity and enthusiasm has died down.

The reforms monitoring spoken of then is no longer seen. Over confident academics re invent the well known devolved course unit system with glaring inconsistencies like repeat exams which give the chance to a student who is unprepared or has failed (one method of relief for their plea) and structured exams, specified limits for the various assessments, no instructor initiatives without faculty board permission, etc.

The universities and everyone associated with them have a prime responsibility to respond to the social demand and need for greater opportunities of higher education, but we also need to ensure that best practice and high standards are maintained and that the problems of structural and attitudinal change, employability and intellectual quality are addressed.

To a significant extent the universities have already begun to pay attention to these developments.

The open university, the external degree programs of our other universities and the post graduate programs and institutes we have established make it possible now for any person in this country even without A-level qualifications to get a university degree and to continue their education to the ultimate level of a Ph.D if they so wish and are willing to work hard to achieve this.

Therefore it could be said that by these methods the plea for qualifications by a mediocre learner which were suppressed previously has now been given a new lease of life. But these possibilities are not so well known, difficult to achieve unless one is highly committed and still remain largely hypothetical.

Moreover it is widely recognised that the quality and organisations of our external degree programs leave room for considerable improvement. We need as in other countries to develop a high quality distance education culture. Similarly we understand very little of what is meant by 'dual mode education' which scarcely exists in this country.

This is the system where a student can combine traditional on campus education with distance education continuing ones studies at home, in the library or on the work place so that you have the advantages of both the internal and the external systems. The excitement of learning and the value of the culture of knowledge never diminish.

Even to those of mediocre learning whose pleas are suppressed they can embark on an exciting and interesting period of their lives with the present system offering them what is best for them.

What the country does require is for them to chose what is most suitable for their learning with careful consideration. The education system cannot make these decisions on their behalf. It is up to them and to their destiny to decide what is best.

www.ceylincoproperties.com

www.ppilk.com

www.crescat.com

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries

Produced by Lake House
Copyright © 2003 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager