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Few thoughts on education

The politicians from the President downwards all talk about development. It is an issue that cannot be postponed. Since the war is over there is no excuse to postpone development or give it less prominence.

In development a key factor is human resource development. Therefore, education from the primary to the tertiary level should receive primary attention and focus.

There is much to be desired in the education sphere. It is common knowledge that students have performed below expectations in the mother tongue and Mathematics at the G C E (Ordinary Level) Examination.

The high percentage of failures points to a defect in the teaching of these subjects. It is difficult to imagine that the majority of the pupils were intellectually weak to assimilate the knowledge imparted. Obviously the fault must like in the content and method of teaching.

What is required is a student centred methodology of teaching. Nor are opportunities given to improve the students’ thinking abilities. Students are rather asked to obey rather than question and find answers. Teaching sometimes becomes spoon-feeding. Students tend to aim at examination question papers rather than learning the elementary principles of the subject taught.

Most teachers do not update their knowledge. They rely on age-old learning material without absorbing the added new knowledge.

Children need a suitable environment for studies. Such an environment is sadly lacking in many rural schools. Nor do they have adequate resources. Though much has been done in the past few years much more needs to be done.

The bulk of the budgetary allocations for education are spent on recurrent expenses like teacher salaries and day to day expenses. Capital expenditure allocations are hardly sufficient. Though schools in the city with relatively more adequate parents could afford to contribute to school welfare funds schools in rural and estate areas are not so fortunate. The same is true of city schools attended by children of less affluent families.

In order to provide a good education schools need many teaching aids, some of which are quite expensive. Nor are attempts made to produce and supply low cost teaching aids.

There is also the need to rationally use the resources available for the benefit of optimum number of schools. Some time ago there was a system of cluster schools which tended to pool their resources. The system seems to have died off.

Though many countries use the electronic media to supplement the teaching at school Sri Lanka has not made any efforts to use it effectively for education purposes. The media could become a vehicle that could offset teacher shortages and other shortcomings in the State educational system.

What did adversely affect education are the attempts made by politicians to tinker it at every change of Government or with every change of the Minister in charge.

In the tertiary education sphere a large number of eligible students are denied opportunities to pursue higher education whether in the academic or vocational streams. Universities are short of funds and have a long way to reach excellence. Our Universities are far below those of other countries even in the South Asian region.

It is necessary to have a long-term plan for developing the education sector. It should take into consideration the needs of the economy as it expands with development.

There should be equitable distribution of the meagre resources at the disposal of the Government. There should be a rational system of grading schools and providing them with the necessary wherewithal to excel.

The high demand for popular and city schools is a great burden on the State as well as the parents. There is the urgent need to provide excellent centres of learning at every district divisional office level.

Sri Lanka Air Force celebrates 59 years service to nation:

Trail blazing military aviators

A walk down the memory lane of the history of Sri Lanka Air Force reveals an epic saga. The memories meander slowly over many poignant moments: the Royal Ceylon Air Force stepping out from the shoes of the Royal Air Force in 1951; being thrust into the dangers of Southern insurgency in 1971; from 1983 the thunderous roar of Eelam wars and now the serenity of skies where guns are silent

Full Story

UNP no longer a ‘National Party’

The political party thus becomes sub culture to every member of the party and since politics is to do with state power, the party often becomes the over bearing factor subsuming sectarian differences.

Full Story

Resolutions for International Women’s Day 2010:

Mechanisms for shared gender leadership

In reality there are no ‘women’s issues’ but only ‘human issues’ which become women’s issues when women are excluded and marginalized from decision making and to ensure that the outcome of the decisions are positive to both men and women

Full Story

On Milinda Moragoda and his ‘strange’ campaign

Milinda is not about posters, cut-outs, loudspeakers, firecrackers and mobs. He is probably one of the few politicians who do not violate election laws. Neither does he abuse grey areas in the law. For example, politicians know very well that they are not supposed to put up posters and yet they desecrate all walls they can lay their hands on.

Full Story

 

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