Why make Education a rat race?

Senali S.Perera

Where will you be in another few years in this globalized world? A glance at the notes before the exam

A keen look at the future!

In today’s society, education of a child has become everything to a child’s family and the child herself. It is important because the future of a child depends almost entirely on the education she receives in her younger years, and to live a bright, comfortable adult life, it is important that a child receives a good education and does a good job of it. This applies to most Sri Lankan children except for rare exceptions.

When observing current Sri Lankan society, one can see that education has become a ‘life-saver’ to most children. Because sometimes, the entire future of children and their families depends on how successful they are in their education. Children not only have to reach their goals to make their dreams a reality, they also have to work hard to live up to their parents’ expectations and make their dreams come true.

They have to work hard to gain a good reputation, respect and recognition. So much depends on it. And at the end of it, a whole new life waits to blossom according to the last result of the ‘mission’. Yes, one could say that education today has become a mission.

If education is so important, it certainly makes sense to observe and talk about the current education system. And to do this, listening to children’s voices -they are the ones who have to deal with this directly- seems more appropriate.

* Ordinary Level

“The syllabus is too tough. We do not get enough time for extra activities, we cannot manage it with these hard studies,” says Sandali Ruhunage, a student from a leading school in Gampaha, who is currently studying for her Ordinary Level (O/L) examination. “The syllabus is too long. We cannot tolerate the nine subjects. With the long syllabuses of all the subjects, we cannt focus on the subjects we really like, the subjects we really have skills for,” she mentions further.

Engaging in extra curricular activities during one’s school years is a very important part of his or her life. They not only help to manage a good mental and physical health, but also train students how to face life, improving the qualities that are important for a good life with healthy relationships. This matter is of great importance. And the students deserve a chance to do what they like, what they are good at. And it is obvious that this student must not be the only one facing such difficulties. A solution should be brought forward because it is the voice of our future generation that demands more freedom.

On the other hand, Sleesha De Silva, who also studying for her O/Level exam, states her opinion in rather a positive way. “The syllabus is a bit tough. But it is in a good standard. Well educated Sri Lankan people are recognized and accepted in many countries. We are lime lighted, if we have a good Sri Lankan education. I think it is the best.” True fact? might be. But what should you face, what should you sacrifice in order to gain this recognition? How should the path to the lime light be paved?

“In most other countries, they give a chance for extra activities and charity work when selecting students for university. But in our country, they only consider the syllabus, facts. Three ‘A’ passes is not enough to make a good citizen”. This is not a teenager ranting about her school work, these words speak for all the students of all ages and don’t you think these words make sense? In her own words, “This education system has glued us to the books,” says Ruhunage who clearly expects a change. How about classroom activities? You get to work in groups, learn new things and sometimes even have fun with all the practical activities, right? “We do not have enough time to do the practicals. Text books are so filled with facts we should remember by heart and we should learn all of them that we do not get enough time for practical activities”. But it is compulsory that students do all these activities and learn things through practical practice, isn’t it? But if they do not have time for these with the too tough or too long syllabus, what would the solution for that be?

At the end of all this, children have to face their utter fear: exams. To find out what the result all the leaning, all the studying, and all the sacrifices is. “Exams are okay. They are not too easy, not too tough. I would say exams are ‘medium’.”

Ruhunage, together with her friend Nayanathara, brings about suggestion to lessen the stress and the monotony caused by the current way of teaching and leaning. “It will really help if the number of subjects could be lessened. At least the number of compulsory subjects has to be reduced. Plus, extra activities and community services should be given more importance.”

“It will be easier if the extra subjects like ICT and English Literature are started at sixth grade. We need to learn these things at a younger age. It is very important,” De Silva states. “Other than that, the education system is mostly flawless.”

* Advanced Level

Advanced Level (A/L) is a bit of a different story. “The syllabus is tough. But if you catch up from the beginning, you can manage, but some subjects are really tough.” Gayani Mendis, a student from a reputed school who is studying for her A/ L examination, this year states her idea. “The competition is too much. You could miss it by a single mark or two. But still, if you have the motive, if you are keen to learn, you can do it”. “I do not think there is anything to be improved. But the syllabus is really too big,” she suggests, satisfied with what she learns and the way she learns it.

“The syllabus is okay, but there is no impressive management,” says Kalana Pathirana, another A/L student from a leading Boys’ school in Colombo. “The syllabus cannot be covered and most of what is in it is not what we need for a job in the future. Because today, everything is computerized and we are not given enough knowledge about technology. We just stick to the books like book worms!” He further says, “Past exam papers were good.

But now, there has been no quality in papers since a few years. Now this exam is not that recognized. Private higher education is needed to go forward in the society and A/L exam has not been given its proper value. There are even mistakes in exam papers. This is a life changing thing and such mistakes can affect one’s life in a huge way. If someone is playing games with this, they are playing games with the lives of the youth.”

“English has become a very important factor in today’s society. The value that is being given to this subject in A/Levels is very poor. In the question paper, simple questions are included, almost the same that we answered in fifth grade,” Pathirana states his opinion.

“The competition is really high. And if someone does not make it, it is going to have a bad effect on their lives. There is really nothing to do if one fails the exam. The number of universities are limited -not enough- and if someone misses the chance, there should be something for them to do. Students should be convinced that if they lose the chance to enter the target university, there are other options they can choose from.

“The future of the country depends on the education its future leaders receive. And this should be an investment not an expense. The relevant authorities should consider it as such and not fail to give education its best quality and value,” says Pathirana.

“We respect what we do. I respect the education I receive, the exams I take. And if a proper education is given to students in good quality and in a proper way, they will feel the need and the importance of it. They will study and learn.”

* Teacher’s role

The teacher’s role is very much important in all this. Their opinion matters and their suggestions are important. “There is no difficulty teaching the syllabus to students. And they do not seem to have any difficulty learning it. The syllabus is simple enough,” says Bernard, a teacher of A/L classes.

“But sometimes the exam paper is not made according to how it is taught. Students are required to do too much thinking in their part, and most of the times, an average student would not make it. Only the smartest ones can deal with this type of question papers. It is not fair.” And for this, she suggests, “When the paper is made, it should be at a level that an average student can actually face it and get a pass result. The questions are confusing; it is too much for most of the students”.

R A D, Gayathri, a teacher of O/Level and A/Level classes (arts stream), it seems, has a different opinion. “The syllabus is not a balanced one. There is no variety in it. There certainly are many drawbacks. Some necessary things have not been included.” Further she says, “We do not have enough time to teach with so many assignments and evaluation sheets to be filled. We have to spend more time doing paper work than teaching.” She mentions that, “Every student is not in the same level. The student-based system does not work properly because of that. Students have to be assisted and guided by the teacher most of the time, especially in subjects like English. The student is expected to learn almost everything by themselves and I cannot say it is entirely practical.”

* Group activities

And when it comes to group activities? “Group activities are necessary, yes, but it can not be done all the time, for everything. We do not have much class-room space and it takes most of the time of the period just to get arranged. And we know that in most schools, teachers do not do these activities in class rooms. But we complete them and it takes most of what time we have left to complete the syllabus.”

Education is important. And the education system must be shaped in order to make the important education worth learning. Solutions should be found to problems -the ones that are mentioned here, and the ones that are not. To make a better country, its future leaders should be trained as good citizens. The health, the freedom and the skills of the children should be given more attention, not just the competition and the need to choose only the very best out of the thousands of children that is going to be the future leaders of our country.