By Sarah Hannan
Just over a month into Prof. G.L. Peiris assuming duties as the Minister of Education, the education system has been facing a complete overhaul with the new minister being tasked with transforming the local education system from preschool to tertiary level.
Discussions are ongoing at various levels, and the stakeholders are meeting with him on a weekly basis to discuss the progress of each initiative that is being rolled out.
The Sunday Morning recently met with Prof. Peiris at his office in Isurupaya amid a busy public day to get an overall idea on what he and the incumbent Government plans to do with the proposed reforms that are to roll out in the coming weeks.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
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Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris. Photo Krishan Kariyawasam[/caption]
How will the proposed education reforms change the way education contributes towards the country’s development?
One of the urgent problems in the entire spectrum of education is the obvious mismatch between education and employment opportunity.
Of course, we have to increase our university intake. Last year, the total number of students who entered our state universities was about 31,000. This year, we are looking at increasing it up to 41,500, which reflects an increase overall.
For instance, in the faculty of medicine, in comparison to last year, there are 369 additional students admitted; the engineering faculty has an additional 405 students. Overall, 10,500 more students have been admitted to universities this year. We are also looking at establishing 10 city-based universities with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
A very large number of students who qualify to gain entry to a university have demonstrated their competence to benefit from higher education, which is quite satisfactory. But at the same time, you have to consider what employment prospects are available for the products of our state education system.
The leaders of the corporate sector tell me that there are jobs, but when they interview people, they find that the interviewees do not have the skills they are looking for.
We have asked the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to write to the large employers of this country and to gather some indication of the jobs they have on offer and would be made available in the next few years, along with the skills and aptitudes they are looking for.
Then, the university system will need to adapt their courses in such a way as to develop and refine within our university system, the skills for which there is an identified demand. Otherwise, we are producing more and more graduates, increasing the pool of discontent.
The National Institute of Education said the school curricula will shift from teacher-centric education to student-centric education. What measures will be in place to ensure there is a smooth transition?
We are placing a very heavy emphasis on curriculum designs because our curriculum has not been revisited or updated for a very long time. We need to ensure the curricula not only in the universities but also in the schools are relevant to contemporary social needs.
We want to involve parents, teachers, students, alumni associations, parent-teacher associations, religious leaders, and community leaders. We propose to do this islandwide on a district basis in order to gather their thoughts with regard to the reforms that are necessary in the curricula to move it away from the present system of note learning.
There is also a shortage of textbooks in the Advanced Level stream. In many subjects, there are no textbooks available, so teachers are compelled to give a note in order to give the students a point of reference or revision material.
I am working with the National Institute of Education and state universities to produce a textbook for the relevant subjects that are on offer for Advanced Level students.
Is the Ministry looking at drawing case studies from foreign education systems?
We would like to draw in positive elements and experiences of all countries. Remembering all the time that we cannot copy the experience of any country and apply it mechanically here, we have to adapt it to suit the conditions of Sri Lanka.
In our system today, which is a very conventional system, the student follows the conventional route of Ordinary Level, Advanced Level, and then university. But Sri Lanka also has a very highly developed system of tertiary and vocational education.
We have a university of tertiary and vocational education, and then we have 19 colleges. Those colleges and the institutes under them cater to as many as over 200 different vocational disciplines such as plumbing, carpentry, woodwork, beauty care, and cookery.
In the vocational education system, there are eight levels. Say at the end of level four, you get a certificate. In most countries, you can use that level four certificate as a passport for entry into a university system, often getting exemption from the first year and joining a university course from the second year onwards, and follow a training programme from a recognised vocational training institute.
In Australia, it is known as sub-degree courses. These are methods that are called lateral entry into the university system. You do not have to necessarily follow the conventional method, and can use the lateral method to enter a university. This is something that we have to consider seriously in our system and see whether that kind of flexibility will be helpful.
Then there is an examination called General Information Technology (GIT), which can be viewed as a good idea, as for students who sit for the Advanced Level examination, there is an option to sit for GIT. Then a student who is selecting the field of studies in the liberal arts or humanities will have a certain amount of exposure to computing and information technology and language training like English.
All of that will better equip the student for a job when they complete their studies.
With the global pandemic still prevalent, many schools had to adapt to distance learning methods. How will the Ministry facilitate technology-based learning at all levels?
Distance learning is a new concept for Sri Lanka and there has been some level of resistance on many levels. We have been used to the student learning from the teacher face-to-face. But Covid-19 brought about a transformation of attitudes in that regard, because it left people with no choice and online training became the standard method of putting material in front of the student.
Now we need to make use of that opportunity and have leading authorities in particular subjects such as geography or economics to supplement the instructions that are given at schools. Later on, if the system is successful, you can do it on an islandwide basis and there will be a great deal of savings made in maintaining school buildings and other facilities.
Will online teaching be an aspect the Ministry is looking at?
Very much. It is the way forward and the country is getting accustomed to that very rapidly.
Will homeschooling be allowed to be practised at any point, given that a parent is qualified to teach their children and complete the Department of Education-approved tests and Department of Examinations-approved local tests?
In our preschools, in particular, we want to encourage that method of education.
We are looking at inculcating values in a child at a very formative stage. So the home environment can be ideal and beneficial to inculcate traditional values, improve the parent-child bond, and improve moral and spiritual values.
If one is to make a beginning in nurture and care, one is to make that beginning at a child’s formative stage. Of course, parental and child contact is important at an early stage.
The problem in our country’s preschools is that the majority of them are not run by government entities. The vast majority is run by religious institutions and non-governmental organisations. Less than 15% are run by the government, but there must be some method of regulation because there are huge differences in standards.
Some are excellent and others are just money-making institutes and pioneering businesses without any quality control. That is something we need to look at regulating.
With child abuse and teen pregnancies still rampant, will the Ministry consider adding sex education to the school curricula and the university curricula?
Definitely. The school curriculum reforms are brought in to keep step with the evolving challenges of society. As a social problem manifests itself, the education system has to take that onboard. Otherwise, the system gets left behind.
What measures will the Ministry take to improve infrastructure facilities in rural schools to reduce overcrowding in ‘popular’ schools located in the city?
We are devising a system to increase the number of national schools – that is to implement three national schools at each divisional secretariat (DS) starting with 123 DS divisions, where there isn’t a single national school.
About three weeks ago, I met with 19 principals of larger schools from all provinces and I tried to encourage them to think of adopting some of the schools in other areas to experiment in social equity, sharing of resources, and sharing of resource personnel.
I have been here a little over a month and the main demand schools have is to admit children into the better-known schools. There is huge pressure because parents feel that the most important thing they could do is to give the child an education at a prestigious school.
We can diffuse this to some extent if the larger schools make their facilities available to one or more schools that are located in other districts.
The response was very positive and supportive, which has led to the Ministry of Education calling for a follow-up meeting with the same principals to deliberate on the proposals.
Vocational training is an area that is looked into by your Government. Will the curriculum at state-run vocational training institutes too be reformed to match the changing needs of the workforce?
Definitely. Take a field like nursing – people who are qualified in that field can command an international market demand. When we look at market opportunities, we must not confine ourselves to market opportunities in Sri Lanka, but must also look further towards the international situation.
We do not have to go on sending housemaids to the Middle East; the consequences of that have been socially disastrous. We have to upgrade one notch and ensure they are skilled migrant workers.
University education has several teething issues, where graduates have a difficult time securing employment after they graduate due to their lack of practical skills in the field. How will you address this issue?
This has already been done. I visited the University of Peradeniya about two weeks ago and met the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor, and deans of all faculties.
They admit about 1,200 students every year to the Faculty of Arts and the total number of a single intake comes up to about 4,500. In 2018, they introduced a system where certain compulsory elements are built into the programme of liberal arts and humanities.
These are not optional subjects and are compulsory like computing, information technology, communication skills, entrepreneurship, and two English diplomas which they have to follow, which will greatly enhance their acceptability for employment when they graduate.
Then they have also started a system where when a student has decided on a career in the corporate sector for vocation and so on, for a student to be initiated into the corporate culture while being assigned to the said institute under an apprenticeship for a short period of time.
These are changes that are necessary in our educational institutions.
How have your initiative to adapt zero tolerance towards ragging in universities and the suggestions made to implement a surveillance committee to monitor such behaviour in an attempt to put an end to such harassments taking place progressed?
The policy of zero tolerance on ragging will actually be implemented because it is a calamity.
Take this case which got a lot of publicity when a first-year student of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Pasindu Hirushan, was subjected to ragging and sustained life-threatening injuries when a lorry tyre was toppled on him. That child survived by a whisker – now the boy has recovered to the extent where he can contemplate and resume his education at the same university. We are doing everything possible to help him continue his higher studies. His father had to give up his job to care for this child. We have obligations towards catering to his necessities.
Students are sent to universities for higher education, and such incidents will not be tolerated. We are looking to ensure the university system is geared to be effectively functional.
Minister of Education Prof. G.L. Peiris. Photo Krishan Kariyawasam[/caption]
How will the proposed education reforms change the way education contributes towards the country’s development?
One of the urgent problems in the entire spectrum of education is the obvious mismatch between education and employment opportunity.
Of course, we have to increase our university intake. Last year, the total number of students who entered our state universities was about 31,000. This year, we are looking at increasing it up to 41,500, which reflects an increase overall.
For instance, in the faculty of medicine, in comparison to last year, there are 369 additional students admitted; the engineering faculty has an additional 405 students. Overall, 10,500 more students have been admitted to universities this year. We are also looking at establishing 10 city-based universities with the support of Asian Development Bank (ADB).
A very large number of students who qualify to gain entry to a university have demonstrated their competence to benefit from higher education, which is quite satisfactory. But at the same time, you have to consider what employment prospects are available for the products of our state education system.
The leaders of the corporate sector tell me that there are jobs, but when they interview people, they find that the interviewees do not have the skills they are looking for.
We have asked the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC) to write to the large employers of this country and to gather some indication of the jobs they have on offer and would be made available in the next few years, along with the skills and aptitudes they are looking for.
Then, the university system will need to adapt their courses in such a way as to develop and refine within our university system, the skills for which there is an identified demand. Otherwise, we are producing more and more graduates, increasing the pool of discontent.
The National Institute of Education said the school curricula will shift from teacher-centric education to student-centric education. What measures will be in place to ensure there is a smooth transition?
We are placing a very heavy emphasis on curriculum designs because our curriculum has not been revisited or updated for a very long time. We need to ensure the curricula not only in the universities but also in the schools are relevant to contemporary social needs.
We want to involve parents, teachers, students, alumni associations, parent-teacher associations, religious leaders, and community leaders. We propose to do this islandwide on a district basis in order to gather their thoughts with regard to the reforms that are necessary in the curricula to move it away from the present system of note learning.
There is also a shortage of textbooks in the Advanced Level stream. In many subjects, there are no textbooks available, so teachers are compelled to give a note in order to give the students a point of reference or revision material.
I am working with the National Institute of Education and state universities to produce a textbook for the relevant subjects that are on offer for Advanced Level students.
Is the Ministry looking at drawing case studies from foreign education systems?
We would like to draw in positive elements and experiences of all countries. Remembering all the time that we cannot copy the experience of any country and apply it mechanically here, we have to adapt it to suit the conditions of Sri Lanka.
In our system today, which is a very conventional system, the student follows the conventional route of Ordinary Level, Advanced Level, and then university. But Sri Lanka also has a very highly developed system of tertiary and vocational education.
We have a university of tertiary and vocational education, and then we have 19 colleges. Those colleges and the institutes under them cater to as many as over 200 different vocational disciplines such as plumbing, carpentry, woodwork, beauty care, and cookery.
In the vocational education system, there are eight levels. Say at the end of level four, you get a certificate. In most countries, you can use that level four certificate as a passport for entry into a university system, often getting exemption from the first year and joining a university course from the second year onwards, and follow a training programme from a recognised vocational training institute.
In Australia, it is known as sub-degree courses. These are methods that are called lateral entry into the university system. You do not have to necessarily follow the conventional method, and can use the lateral method to enter a university. This is something that we have to consider seriously in our system and see whether that kind of flexibility will be helpful.
Then there is an examination called General Information Technology (GIT), which can be viewed as a good idea, as for students who sit for the Advanced Level examination, there is an option to sit for GIT. Then a student who is selecting the field of studies in the liberal arts or humanities will have a certain amount of exposure to computing and information technology and language training like English.
All of that will better equip the student for a job when they complete their studies.
With the global pandemic still prevalent, many schools had to adapt to distance learning methods. How will the Ministry facilitate technology-based learning at all levels?
Distance learning is a new concept for Sri Lanka and there has been some level of resistance on many levels. We have been used to the student learning from the teacher face-to-face. But Covid-19 brought about a transformation of attitudes in that regard, because it left people with no choice and online training became the standard method of putting material in front of the student.
Now we need to make use of that opportunity and have leading authorities in particular subjects such as geography or economics to supplement the instructions that are given at schools. Later on, if the system is successful, you can do it on an islandwide basis and there will be a great deal of savings made in maintaining school buildings and other facilities.
Will online teaching be an aspect the Ministry is looking at?
Very much. It is the way forward and the country is getting accustomed to that very rapidly.
Will homeschooling be allowed to be practised at any point, given that a parent is qualified to teach their children and complete the Department of Education-approved tests and Department of Examinations-approved local tests?
In our preschools, in particular, we want to encourage that method of education.
We are looking at inculcating values in a child at a very formative stage. So the home environment can be ideal and beneficial to inculcate traditional values, improve the parent-child bond, and improve moral and spiritual values.
If one is to make a beginning in nurture and care, one is to make that beginning at a child’s formative stage. Of course, parental and child contact is important at an early stage.
The problem in our country’s preschools is that the majority of them are not run by government entities. The vast majority is run by religious institutions and non-governmental organisations. Less than 15% are run by the government, but there must be some method of regulation because there are huge differences in standards.
Some are excellent and others are just money-making institutes and pioneering businesses without any quality control. That is something we need to look at regulating.
With child abuse and teen pregnancies still rampant, will the Ministry consider adding sex education to the school curricula and the university curricula?
Definitely. The school curriculum reforms are brought in to keep step with the evolving challenges of society. As a social problem manifests itself, the education system has to take that onboard. Otherwise, the system gets left behind.
What measures will the Ministry take to improve infrastructure facilities in rural schools to reduce overcrowding in ‘popular’ schools located in the city?
We are devising a system to increase the number of national schools – that is to implement three national schools at each divisional secretariat (DS) starting with 123 DS divisions, where there isn’t a single national school.
About three weeks ago, I met with 19 principals of larger schools from all provinces and I tried to encourage them to think of adopting some of the schools in other areas to experiment in social equity, sharing of resources, and sharing of resource personnel.
I have been here a little over a month and the main demand schools have is to admit children into the better-known schools. There is huge pressure because parents feel that the most important thing they could do is to give the child an education at a prestigious school.
We can diffuse this to some extent if the larger schools make their facilities available to one or more schools that are located in other districts.
The response was very positive and supportive, which has led to the Ministry of Education calling for a follow-up meeting with the same principals to deliberate on the proposals.
Vocational training is an area that is looked into by your Government. Will the curriculum at state-run vocational training institutes too be reformed to match the changing needs of the workforce?
Definitely. Take a field like nursing – people who are qualified in that field can command an international market demand. When we look at market opportunities, we must not confine ourselves to market opportunities in Sri Lanka, but must also look further towards the international situation.
We do not have to go on sending housemaids to the Middle East; the consequences of that have been socially disastrous. We have to upgrade one notch and ensure they are skilled migrant workers.
University education has several teething issues, where graduates have a difficult time securing employment after they graduate due to their lack of practical skills in the field. How will you address this issue?
This has already been done. I visited the University of Peradeniya about two weeks ago and met the Vice Chancellor, Deputy Vice Chancellor, and deans of all faculties.
They admit about 1,200 students every year to the Faculty of Arts and the total number of a single intake comes up to about 4,500. In 2018, they introduced a system where certain compulsory elements are built into the programme of liberal arts and humanities.
These are not optional subjects and are compulsory like computing, information technology, communication skills, entrepreneurship, and two English diplomas which they have to follow, which will greatly enhance their acceptability for employment when they graduate.
Then they have also started a system where when a student has decided on a career in the corporate sector for vocation and so on, for a student to be initiated into the corporate culture while being assigned to the said institute under an apprenticeship for a short period of time.
These are changes that are necessary in our educational institutions.
How have your initiative to adapt zero tolerance towards ragging in universities and the suggestions made to implement a surveillance committee to monitor such behaviour in an attempt to put an end to such harassments taking place progressed?
The policy of zero tolerance on ragging will actually be implemented because it is a calamity.
Take this case which got a lot of publicity when a first-year student of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Pasindu Hirushan, was subjected to ragging and sustained life-threatening injuries when a lorry tyre was toppled on him. That child survived by a whisker – now the boy has recovered to the extent where he can contemplate and resume his education at the same university. We are doing everything possible to help him continue his higher studies. His father had to give up his job to care for this child. We have obligations towards catering to his necessities.
Students are sent to universities for higher education, and such incidents will not be tolerated. We are looking to ensure the university system is geared to be effectively functional.