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In need of radical changes

26 Aug 2019

By Maheesha Mudugamuwa, Skandha Gunasekera, Sarah Hannan, and Tharumalee Silva There is no doubt about the crucial role education plays in shaping an individual’s personality and future. Even though Sri Lanka has a high literacy rate on record, the country has not been able to impart the kind of education modern times demand. Current education system Primary education in Sri Lanka covers the first five years of schooling (grades one to five) while the secondary stage of education (grades six to 13) consists of a junior secondary and two senior secondary levels in government schools. According to Ministry of Education census in 2017, there were 265 international schools, 80 private schools (36 fee-levying, 44 non-fee-levying), 26 special schools, 753 pirivenas (monastic colleges), and 10,194 government schools across the country. Despite this wide variety of schools, government schools cater to approximately 94% of Sri Lanka’s primary and secondary student population. Government schools are divided into two main categories – national schools and provincial schools. National schools are recognised for providing the best primary/secondary education in the country and consist mainly of Type 1AB and Type 1C schools, with 91% being Type 1AB in 2017. National schools make up only 3.5% of the public schools and cater to 19.5% of the student populace. However, approximately 35% of the total general education spending is mainly funnelled into national schools. Government schools are also divided into four types which determine the subjects and grades covered: Type 1AB schools cater to the most number of students even though they have the smallest number of schools. The demand for Type 1AB schools could be attributed to the fact that they offer Advanced Levels (A/Ls) in science with some offering continuous schooling from primary to A/Ls. Type 2 and 3 schools make up over two-thirds of the schools in the country, but do not offer A/L education, and their combined student population is less than that of Type 1AB schools. Lack of infrastructure facilities in schools Sri Lanka boasts about the provision of free education from primary up to tertiary studies, yet there are several areas that need to be improved in order to allow children to receive free education in schools nearest to their homes. Furthermore, there are schools that do not have drinking water facilities or water storage facilities for the children to wash their hands or when they have to use the toilet. Government statistics have also revealed that 16% of the schools in Sri Lanka do not have drinking water resources at the school premises; and while 40% of the schools have wells/tube wells at the school, only 35% have pipe-borne water. Meanwhile, 8% of the schools use water from streams and springs, with 1% of the schools being supplied water through a bowser. Some of the rural schools lack road access, and during heavy rains, students have to cross streams that do not have bridges to access their school, risking injury and even their lives. Disparities in access to quality education Efforts in Sri Lanka, it seems, have been primarily concentrated on basic education, particularly secondary, with much less focus on higher levels of education. As a result, it ranks poorly in terms of science and math education and internet access in schools. In order to participate successfully in the knowledge economy, the country will have to increase quality inputs such as IT access, constructive and effective teaching, and better math and science education, whilst constantly consolidating the existing high levels of literacy. According to statistics, approximately 300,000-500,000 students sat for science and mathematics subjects at the Ordinary Level (O/L) Examination held by the Department of Examinations of the Ministry of Education in 2017. Of these candidates, 73% passed science while approximately 68% passed mathematics. The percentage of students who qualified for the A/L Examination ranged from 55-65%. According to the 2017 school census, a total of 4,165,964 students attended 10,194 government schools, where 241,591 teachers were allocated to teach. Numbers aside, in our travels, we always come across schools that do not have proper road access and a water source, have small halls that accommodate kids from grades one to five, and have only one or two teachers to teach all of them. Most of these schools are ones that have fallen off the radar and out of the education budget allocations, but often provide education for kids from poverty-stricken families. These schools lack basic sanitation facilities and it is reported that kids have to bring a bottle of water from home to wash their hands before and after their meals and to use when they go to the toilet. With the present weather conditions, it is a requirement to stay hydrated, but with the lack of drinking water resources in the school premises, these kids have to suffer. The real picture in rural areas A huge part of Sri Lanka’s population still resides in rural areas. However, there is hardly any attention paid to the education system in those areas. The schools in rural areas have very poor infrastructure facilities. There is also a huge dearth in the number of teachers, especially those who are well trained, which in turn disrupts the student-teacher ratio extensively. This inevitably leads to very poor quality in education. The story of Udagaladebokka Kanishta Vidyalaya clearly depicts the true picture of most schools in rural areas. The village is located in the Central Province and due to the terrain of the area and given that it is landlocked among forest reserves, the route children have to take to get to school falls through the paths wild elephants cross. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, a parent of a student at Udagaladebokka Kanishta Vidyalaya said: “Children from 34 families attend this school. Due to the lack of teachers, children in this school – whether in grade one or nine – receives the same lessons. The school does not have a proper toilet that can be used by the kids and teachers and we keep building temporary toilets all the time.” The rural areas are already struggling a lot when it comes to local transportation too. This problem poses a huge threat to education due to a limited number of or no schools in the vicinity. Sometimes, the problems with transportation coupled with the schools being located at a great distance in rural areas compel parents to not send their children to school, thus curtailing their education. But the parents of Udagaladebokka Kanishta Vidyalaya find a way to send their children to school regularly in spite of the difficulties they face. A student from the school stressed: “We are eager to learn and despite the lack of facilities in our school, we make sure that we come to school all five days of the week. Since this is a primary school, ideally, we should be attending a school that has secondary education, yet that school is located over 9 km away from the village and can only be reached on foot through the thick jungle, where we would surely encounter wild animals.” Budgetary allocations In this year’s Budget, the Government allocated a sum of Rs. 105 billion for education, out of which the Government stated that Rs. 32 billion will be invested to improve infrastructure, Rs. 100 million for in-service teacher training, Rs. 400 million on curricula modernisation – shifting the focus from rote learning to more analytical and creative learning – as well as Rs. 400 million on promotion of Tamil-medium teacher training. According to UNICEF, about 40% of the children aged three to four years do not have access to either preschools or early childhood development centres, and the disparities could easily increase if the provision of such fundamental services is left to the private sector alone. Disparities lead to enrolment differences An initial overview of the distribution of national schools countrywide compared to the countrywide distribution of the student population in government schools shows districts such as Gampaha and Anuradhapura having the most shortages. However, it is important to note that merely the equal distribution (in number) of national schools to the student population is not enough to ensure equal access to these schools. Geographical spread, terrain issues, school capacity, and the proportion of rural students in the district are also important factors. These spatial disparities can lead to differences in enrolment rates. Sixteen out of 25 districts have less than 20% of their students enrolled in national schools, while over 30% of the student population in Colombo, Galle, and Matara are enrolled in national schools; in districts such as Nuwara Eliya and Kilinochchi, enrolment rates drop to 5% and 7%, respectively. Kilinochchi has a proportionate number of national schools to its student population; however, the wide geographical spread of the district and given that most students are in rural areas results in the district having a low student enrolment rate in national schools. Challenges within primary education The existing primary curriculum consists of four subject areas: First language, mathematics, religion, and environment-related activities (ERA). ERA is an integrated subject encompassing science, creative work, health and nutrition, aesthetics, physical education, and activity-based oral English. There are 47,214 primary teachers in the Sinhala medium and 18,597 in the Tamil medium. Only 62.6% of them were appointed as primary teachers. Thus, nearly 40% were not appointed to teach in these grades. There is a tendency for graduates to not take up primary-level teaching positions. Meanwhile, former Federation of University Teachers’ Association President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri opined that there were numerous problems with regard to the admission of students to schools. “There is huge competition to get into school, especially national schools. The criteria are manipulated, favouring certain individuals and government officials; there is also the issue of taking bribes – all these are issues that parents have to face when trying to get their child admitted to a school,” Dr. Dewasiri said. He too agreed that the best solution would be a completely separate primary section. “Primary sections must be removed and separate primary schools common to all must be established. These primary schools must have no connection to any other school. This way, once a student finishes grade five, he or she has a fair chance of entering any school, whether at national level or otherwise.” Dr. Dewasiri noted that old boys’ associations were the most resistant to this proposed change. “Old boys’ unions do not want to separate the primary section as grade one admissions bring in a lot of money. They resist this change the most. Political will must be there to face such resistance and implement this remedial change,” he said. Corrupt system? Commenting on grade one admission to schools, Ceylon Teachers’ Union Chairman Joseph Stalin said that one of the main problems faced is the underhand bribes sought from parents to admit a child, particularly into competitive national schools. “Even though taking money to admit a child is illegal, it is still taking place across the board in schools, especially in competitive schools such as national schools,” he said. He said that such bribes are now procured by the old students’ associations and are received as “donations”. “Old boys’ unions are the ones mainly involved in this racket. They demand a donation in exchange for a place on the admissions list. They provide details of a bank account and ask the parents to deposit the monies and furnish the deposit slip as evidence of payment. This has been going on for years,” Stalin said. In addition, Stalin said government officials, prominent figures, and anyone with influence are given priority over the general populace. “This year alone, 700 students of employees of the Education Ministry were freely admitted to major national schools. This happens all the time. Politicians will also pull strings and help their own acquaintances.” Another issue regarding competition to enter one’s child into a school is the excessive number of students per classroom. Stalin revealed that in 2011, the Supreme Court issued a determination that a classroom could only house a maximum of 35 students and this was to be implemented in five years. “However, it was never properly implemented,” Stalin said, adding that instead, schools only enforced this rule in grade one classes. “They will follow this directive for the grade one classes and limit the number of students to 35. But from grade two onwards, the schools will pack as many students as they can into a classroom,” he said. He said that the Ministry of Education issued a circular in 2016 stating that the programme through which the number of students per classroom was to reduce in accordance with the Supreme Court order would be concluded by 2021. “The Education Ministry issued a circular in 2016 stating that they would bring down the number of students per class in all schools to 35 within five years by the 2021,” he said. Stalin said that as a remedy to these issues, the National Education Commission in 2011 came up with several proposals including the separation of the primary section. “The separation of the primary section will resolve this issue. Proper primary schools with good teachers and facilities must be set up. This way, there will be no competition to admit students to national schools or otherwise.” He said that after grade five, students could either enter a secondary school through scholarships or entrance exams. Access to ICT Children’s access to ICT is low in Sri Lanka with few students and even fewer teachers being IT literate. Even in elite public schools, access to computer facilities defined by the students-to-computer ratio is well over 100:1. Computers alone are not enough to provide students with the comprehensive skills needed to use computers. This training should be supplied by capable teachers who are skilled in not only teaching students how to use them, but who also use computers themselves in daily lessons and incorporate these into teaching methods. While there were 167 literacy programmes available in all nine provinces, a total of 2,664 participants have benefited from them. Many of these participants (58.1%) dropped out of school due to financial difficulties. Out of the 10,194 state schools, only 55% of the schools are equipped with computer labs. The highest percentage of schools with computer facilities on record is 69% from the Western Province and the lowest percentage of schools with computer facilities is recorded at 47% from the North Western Province. English language – a tool to connect Speaking to The Sunday Morning, educationist Jezima Ismail emphasised the importance of the English language. “I believe technology is important. Technology and the English language go hand in hand, so in order to move forward, I believe that having knowledge of the English language is vital. However, the teaching of the subject is very poorly done, especially in schools in rural areas and even some schools situated here in Colombo,” she said. Ismail highlighted that it is essential to know one common language – a language that is spoken internationally – when living in a multicultural, multi-ethnic, and multireligious country such as ours. “The French, the Indians, and many cultures in the world have their own dialects when speaking the language and the Sri Lankan pronunciation of the language is accepted universally and learning English is an absolute necessity,” she said. What of international schools? Ismail further stated that international schools are mushrooming in the country due to the lack of authority the Government has over them. “International schools are mushrooming, and they are often ones with subpar standards. The Government needs to make sure that all international schools are registered with the Education Ministry and there should be a supervisory, monitoring authoritative figure to evaluate standards and assess the problems within these schools,” she said. Taking the example of the situation that arose in April where one popular international school was illegally situated with low standards and came under the scrutiny of the public eye, it could be said that it is essential that the Ministry of Education take all international schools under its wing to ensure standardised educational institutions are established in the country. A holistic view: Education and psychology It is common knowledge that a child’s mental state is vital in retaining knowledge and expanding their learning capacities. However, little attention is paid to the importance of teachers understanding the psychological sciences when it comes to educating and shaping young minds. Giving his insight, pioneer psychologist Dr. Marcel De Roos stated that educationists should be given training in child psychology. “There are so many instances where teachers in Sri Lanka do not have the ability to recognise learning disorders, behavioural disorders, etc…I have dealt with many cases where teachers have often mistaken these disorders as ‘laziness’ and the child is beaten, when in reality, these children have an undiagnosed disorder,” he said. He also recalled that in some instances, even parents give permission to the teachers to engage in corporal punishment, and especially in these instances, it has a significant impact on the child. “When you hit a child, it makes the child angry, which is called oppressive anger, and this builds up inside the child. As a result of this, when they become adults, they have anger management issues,” he said. The social stigma around seeking psychological help and therapy also has a significant role to play in the lack of attention surrounding this subject. While understanding that there is a lack of finances and funding to run government schools in Sri Lanka, De Roos also stated that it is of utmost importance to raise awareness of this particular issue. He also stated that this may be another root cause of domestic violence. “It’s a cycle. When you hit a child, they believe it is how you correct a situation. Therefore, when they grow up, they do it to their own children because it was done to them,” he said. He stressed the importance of reforming and moving away from colonial ideologies when it comes to education, stating: “The western world has moved on from the methods they introduced to their colonies, and it is high time that we too move forward and provide a well-rounded education for the future of Sri Lanka,” he said. Need for radical change When The Sunday Morning contacted lawmaker and specialist medical officer by profession Dr. Sudarshani Fernandopulle to see what sort of issues she identified in the local education system and how it should be addressed, she said the education system was not geared enough to produce productive adults competent enough to grasp the job market evolution. “There should be reforms where skills and competencies of children could be brought out because right now, children are like robots,” she said, adding that the present education system of the country did not cater to the job market. “At present, we are producing students who do arts as a subject and get a degree, but they don’t have other skills to find a suitable job while there are lots of opportunities,” Dr. Fernandopulle stressed. According to her, there is a mismatch between the education system and the availability of jobs and the education system doesn’t focus on the development of individuals and their personalities, communication, leadership qualities, or values. She thinks the school curriculum should be changed to match the availability of the jobs and with a focus on developing life skills. “The children should be taught how to tolerate other religions and be law-abiding citizens. You should not have separate schools based on religion or language; you should teach them in a single school so they will learn to tolerate one another,” she added. Highlighting the importance of teaching children the importance of governance, Dr. Fernandopulle said: “The system doesn’t talk much about governance. I don’t think children are taught about the different arms in the government, the legal system, or the Constitution of the country.” Stressing the necessity of bringing radical changes to the existing education system, Dr. Fernandopulle noted that the Government should discuss with different stakeholders and the experts in the field of education, and should learn from other countries that have done well in reforms that suit current world trends. “Our system puts a lot of pressure on children and it is highly competitive,” she stressed. Elaborating further, she stressed that every school should be given equal resources so that children in villages could save time spent on commuting as they could attend the schools in their areas. Government’s take Meanwhile, The Sunday Morning contacted the Ministry of Education to see what actions they took to address these issues during the last few years. As a measure to address the lack of teachers in schools, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said that he had provided teaching appointments to 1,400 unemployed undergraduates recently, under the national policy to grant teaching appointments to 16,800 graduates countrywide. He also stressed that relevant steps would be taken to recruit an additional 5,000 undergraduates to the Education Ministry as well. As a step to improve ICT knowledge of the students around the country and also to develop the education sector to meet the needs of today’s society, Kariyawasam said that his Ministry started a programme to distribute robotic equipment worth Rs. 419 million across 84 schools in addition to the distribution of tabs among students and teachers. Kariyawasam explained that more than 30,000 teachers would be trained in guiding students to use the tabs that are to be issued to them shortly, and in order to facilitate the use of these tabs, the classrooms in some 1,000 schools are also to be provided with Wi-Fi facilities. According to the Ministry, the Government allocated about Rs. 4.1 billion, from the initial Rs. 5 billion, for the project. In addition to the ICT issue, improving English knowledge among students has been identified as one of the most important matters in today’s education system and to improve the English knowledge of the students, the Ministry launched a programme in collaboration with the US Embassy in Colombo. Accordingly, around 30 volunteer English teachers would be deployed to Sri Lanka from next year to teach English at rural schools in a bid to uplift the linguistic knowledge of students. Elaborating on the steps that have been taken by the Ministry to develop infrastructure facilities of the schools, the Minister stressed that nearly 18,000 projects were being implemented in 9,065 schools across the country at a cost of Rs. 65 billion, under the “Nearest School is the Best School” programme. “Around 12,000 projects have already been completed, while 900 new buildings have been constructed in schools. Under this programme, all schools will be provided with basic facilities,” he added.

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