Pyramid scheme with a difference - international school education

Ramani D. Wickramaratne

Education: Thanks to the timely action taken by the Central Bank, Sri Lanka was able to avert a catastrophic disaster, by alerting the general public on the risks of the Pyramid gold scam. Due to the timely action the country was also able to stop the outflow of much needed foreign currency from this country. From 2001-2003 these Pyramid schemes had built up a roaring business by hoodwinking innocent Sri Lankans into believing this was the most profitable way to earn money.

From what we hear, many foolish individuals even resigned from their regular work places to take this on a full time basis! Having said that, it is noteworthy to study similar schemes, which though not named as" Pyramid Schemes" has been draining out foreign currency from this country for the last 20-30 years in a slow and systematic manner with the blessings of all recent governments in power. It seems to be accelerating now, hence the need to write this article.

Why and how the education system changed ?

Sri Lanka enjoyed one of the best education systems in the Asian region and graduates from our universities, could easily equal any graduate from another country. Our National Schools (Government and Private schools included) produced some of the best personalities that this country has known through history.

The standard of education in Sri Lanka saw its first mix up during 1972-1977 when the government in power under the late Sirimavo Bandaranaike at the time, decided to change the system of education as well as the curriculum.

At the time, we were told, that it was not necessary to cater to the British education system -that Sri Lanka needed to restructure the education system to suit our own Sri Lankan situation. Therefore, GCE O/Levels was changed to NCGE, GCE A/Levels was changed to HNCE. Subjects like History, Geography and Civics were amalgamated into one subject called "Social Sciences" and from then on, the history of this country was distorted according to the whims and fancies of the Minister of Education at the time.

This was the first instance when our children began to lose their sense of identity! To handle the sudden changes in the curriculum, at the time, we did not have adequate teachers who were conversant enough and could handle it. A "crash training programme " to train the required teachers to handle this new system was done through the Dept. of Education. Since then, education of this country has never been the same.

Since 1978 when the "open economic policy" of the JR Jayewardene Era commenced, the Board of Investment (BOI) encouraged foreigners to enter this country and invest in many projects. The initial investment required for a foreign investor, was to bring in USD50,000 into the country and with that, he was even entitled to " A Green Card" for permanent residency here. Such investors were also given tax holidays to commence projects.

Having entered the country and started projects, before long they began to obtain loans from our local banks instead of bringing more foreign currency into this country. Sad to say, there are no proper followup checks and balances that our authorities resort to, to ensure that these investors are truly conducting the businesses that they initially registered with our authorities.

Most of these projects have really not helped this country at all. Instead, they have helped foreign investors to reap maximum benefits from the fabulous tax holidays offered to them. Then again, there are "some genuine investors" who have continued to give good service and employment to our citizens while gaining profits for the businesses- there is no problem with that at all.

To make matters worse, from 1978 onwards with the change of governments and UNP in power, together with the other negative reactions/results of the "open economic policies" education too suffered many setbacks during the past 30 years.

Free education and the standard of education in government schools began to deteriorate due to the intentional mismanagement of the Ministry of Education at the time. While our own local education system deteriorated, International Schools were given pride of place where the medium of instruction is English and students are geared to sit for London O/Level and A/Level examinations.

Stranger still, is the fact that International Schools are governed by the BOI, and not the Ministry of Education in this country. If one checks through a register of International Schools in this country it will easily be in the range of 60-100 in number (or more).

The impression given to parents is that it is difficult to get their children into government schools (and it was made so with a purpose). Local teacher training programmes have been neglected and only sub-standard teachers are appointed to our national schools. Rural schools are totally neglected and allowed to close down gradually. In a recent report, it was stated that 400 odd government schools in rural areas, have already been closed down! Through all this, International Schools are booming and earning mints of money.

During the pre-1978 Era, we had only one International School operating in this country, and that catered only for the children of foreign diplomats working for their missions in Sri Lanka. No local children were admitted to this school except for children of Sri Lankans who worked in the Foreign Service and that too on a short-term basis. It was mandatory that all other local children enter local government or private schools for their education.

Under the present system of education, students who succeed in their London A' Levels, cannot enter (not permitted rather) our local universities and therefore, it became mandatory for them to seek opportunities to study in foreign universities. On average, an International School in this country may have 1000-1500 students in the least.

Through the 30 years, one can count how many locals would have passed out as successful candidates for entry into foreign universities in Australia, USA, UK, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Netherlands, Canada etc. The majority of such students do not get scholarships to study overseas.

Therefore their parents have to support them through their undergraduate studies in foreign universities. Based on the course they select whether it be Medicine, Engineering or The Arts, tuition fees, medical insurance and boarding costs plus air travel, will no doubt vary.

Tuition fees per academic year for undergraduate courses, vary according to the country. Duration of courses vary from 3-5 years (sometimes 6). It is quite obvious that luring our talented youth abroad for higher studies, has become an extremely lucrative business for foreign universities.

The number of advertisements placed in the week-end newspapers by Foreign Educational Institutions inviting applications from our students, is ample testimony to this statement. On top of it, recently we saw in our local newspapers, a promotional article made by the Ambassador of the USA in Sri Lanka stating how wonderful and beneficial studies in the USA can be to students!

Under normal circumstances, Sri Lankans applying for visit visas to the USA are treated like pickpockets, but when it comes to promoting an agenda that brings money to their government, Sri Lanka is a good hunting ground! The US is not alone in this operation- many other western countries follow the same policies towards Sri Lankans.

Negative aspects of encouraging foreign educational institutions

In any country which is serious about producing high calibre professional talent within the country, education is a serious investment. The State makes on behalf of their younger generation- prime objective is to produce educated and qualified professionals with a national identity.

They must in the least, get a sound education in government, history and geography of their own country first before specialising about facts related to foreign countries! In return, such professionals will serve their country and eventually become " true patriotic leaders" of their Mother Land. Primary and Secondary education in any country is most important to inculcate proper cultural values in children.

It is during this period that our children attending International Schools are being brainwashed with foreign ideas, belittling local culture and customs. Most of these children do not speak their mother tongue even at home!

After having studied up to secondary level in Local National Schools, students proceeding overseas to follow undergraduate studies, is perfectly o.k. By then these children will be stepping into adulthood and their foundation is already laid as to what their national identity is. Destroying their roots by making them "stateless individuals" who fit neither here nor there, is a grave mistake and crime that the State as well as parents are committing against their children.

It is a known fact, that some of the International Schools employ expatriate teachers who are hardly qualified to teach a particular subject, only to justify that they employ "foreign teachers!" It is also known that some of these foreign teachers have been found to be influencing our children into immoral practices through their own immoral life styles.

Naturally, our children will be influenced by what they see and hear! Once these children go through primary, secondary and higher education levels in a foreign language and country, they will have absolutely no allegiance to their motherland for which, they cannot be held responsible.

Yet they never become fully integrated in a western society that has their own evils like racism and inequality of opportunities for their own youth. Hence a misguided third world youth ends up trapped amidst two worlds, both treating them as pariahs or out-casts & nothing better than second class citizens.

They will opt to live overseas because they are more comfortable in that environment as against being misfits in this country. Formerly, we considered "brain drain" to be applicable when our qualified professionals leave the country for greener pastures.

With the present " International School Culture" most of our children are being introduced to - "brain drain" at a very early age of 4-6 years and they are being "drained" until they leave our shores for higher education and eventual migration.

Having gone through tremendous hardships to educate their children in International Schools and foreign universities in the west, parents discover to their utter frustration, that if and when their children do decide to return to Sri Lanka and find suitable employment, that it is no bed of roses.

Those who qualify from overseas universities will find employment most often in the private sector and not in state departments or universities. This happens because of the structure prevalent in our country to safeguard graduates who pass out from our own universities- yet we find the State encouraging our students to study overseas to shed their own responsibility of providing quality education within the country!

Either way, these children become misfits due to no fault of theirs. The responsibility lies with ego-driven parents who wish to be part of a fashionable race at the expense of the child, rather than being realistic and proud of their own identities. At what cost?

Recent trends in the education policies in Sri Lanka

It is becoming more and more evident, that moves are being made to change the education policies to deprive our rural children who form the majority of school-going age, of a sound local education.

Currently, there is a move to make English the medium of instruction at our local universities- why? By all means, make English a compulsory subject in all Faculties in universities. If the intention is to improve their standard of English, then this would be the best way to handle it.

However, it is extremely unfair by our students who enter universities from rural schools, to force them into following their relevant courses in the English medium without using their Mother-Tongue. Who is dictating terms for our government to follow this rule? Other than in countries where English is the Mother Tongue, in all other countries the world over, the Medium of Instruction is the Mother-Tongue of that country- not English.

Likewise, in our country too, children must use their Mother-Tongue as the Medium of Instruction. More teachers with quality are definitely required to be posted to our National Schools which are terribly under-staffed, even to teach subjects in the Mother-Tongue- let alone teaching them in English!

In order to train students to face international exposure, there would be absolutely no objection to making English a compulsory subject at all levels, as mentioned earlier. The field of education must be handled by high calibre educationists if a country is to prosper. Messing up the education system wholesale, will bring disaster to the entire nation! Educational Policies have to be made taking the local culture and situation into consideration rather than by aping the west.

Our prime target must be to offer a sound education suitable to our local situation and which will be beneficial to our younger generation.

After the tsunami crisis that Sri Lanka faced on 26th December, 2004 the government has stated that there are plans to hand over the rehabilitation of destroyed Government/National schools to the private sector. Why must this be done since it is the bounden duty of the incumbent government in power, to shoulder the responsibility of doing this rather than palming it off to private enterprises/NGOs.

Management of these schools will also eventually be handed over to the private sector which will automatically shut out rural children from gaining a sound education-the motives are all too obvious. It is also known that there is a move by the government to surreptitiously hand over the management of some 300 odd National Schools to Private Management Boards.

Whose hand is behind these decisions? What are the motives? Education of a country must be " of the people, for the people" of that country and must be handled by the State and not the private sector. Local private schools have been operating in this country without a conflict and this could continue if needs be. Foreign institutions or governments must not be permitted to dictate on educational policies applicable to our country.

All countries in the world that have a strong academic environment are countries where their students have been given a good education foundation based on their own local situations. Those countries place special importance on their own history, geography, their own literature and language together with other subjects. Sri Lanka must learn from those examples- not ape them. We must introduce subjects which inculcate strong and deep feelings towards our own history, civics, geography and our own language and literature(both Sinhala and Tamil).

As mentioned earlier English Language and Literature must be taught as compulsory subjects. Our own education system must be given maximum priority and all Government and Private Schools must be provided with maximum facilities for our children to enhance their general knowledge to become better qualified citizens of this country.

Training them only to sit for examinations will not suffice. In today's context we see children growing up as mechanical robots. Student life must be much more rewarding than merely passing examinations. This is how our students were trained in the olden days and is nothing new to Sri Lanka.