The need for orderly schools

A new school term began yesterday, evoking the sentiment among concerned, civic - conscious persons that a renewed, sustained effort should be made among our student community to further expand their knowledge and acquire emotional maturity for the handling of life's difficult moments.

It's our wish too that this will really be so because the aim of the current educational reforms is the establishment of a student body in this country which will not only be intelligent and knowledgeable but also wise. It is wisdom which enables a person to cope with life's issues with equanimity and insight and this component of education is very much a concern of President Kumaratunga, the initiator of the educational reforms.

Much, of course, depends on the example set by parents, elders and teachers. If the young do not see discipline and orderliness in their homes and schools and if those responsible for their moral and spiritual formation do not prove to be embodiments of virtue, students cannot be expected to be disciplined, righteous and law-abiding.

There have been a few errant school Principals, for instance, who have been relieved of their duties, pending the conclusion of disciplinary inquiries, who could have proved a bad influence on their students.

The Government has, rightly, ensured that these persons are brought to justice but some sections of the public don't seem to be in agreement with it. They are said to be inciting parents and students to launch street demonstrations and thereby cripple the academic activities of the schools concerned.

Such destructive conduct on the part of these persons, amounts to sowing the seeds of indiscipline in schools and eroding the rationale on which these institutions are established.

We are given to understand that some past pupils of these schools are behind this round of unrest but it very well could be that even those desirous of defeating the educational reforms and other major projects of the State are also working in collaboration with them. That is, the final objective of the effort at disruption is political in nature.

The inciters of such mischief need to realize that the ultimate aim of the authorities is the cleansing of our public schools of corrupt elements who could pervert the educational process. The Government has no choice but to enforce the law and school Principals, if found guilty of malpractices, would have to be dismissed.

However, the alleged offenders would be dismissed only by due process of law. That is, they would be relieved of their duties only if found guilty at the end of a judicial inquiry. Accordingly there is no question of the educational authorities acting arbitrarily.

These points need to be borne in mind by the inciters of the current unrest. The Government has no choice but to enforce the law. Meanwhile, parents and elders need to guard against being made Cats' Paws.

As for those in the opposition trying to grab the moral high ground on corruption issues, they need to take their minds back to the sleazy examination marks scandal of the late Seventies.

A favoured few had their A/L marks bloated to enable them to pass, although they had failed the exam. For them to tear their hair over corruption now is sheer hypocrisy.

Today's Bandung Booruwa

Ranil Wickremesinghe, the former Prime Minister and Minister of Education in an acute attack of the foot and mouth disease has earned for himself his uncle's "accolade". Today he wears the hat 'Bandung Booruwa II'.

A few days ago he arrived in a tsunami area and without a bye or leave opened a tsunami victim's packet of lunch and tucked-in-gleefully, quite unconcerned that he had prevented a tsunami victim of a mid-day meal. He added this eating exercise evidently to have himself photographed to show that he was a good Samaritan identifying himself with the masses. All for the sake of cheap publicity.

It was 50 years ago that Sir John Kotalawala as Prime Minister made a mess of himself at Bandung which created the Non-Alignment Summit. Undoubtedly, on seeing this lean and hungry looking individual, the tsunami victim offered," Cassius" his parcel of rice.