On Monday commenced the GCE Ordinary Level examination at 4,513 centres. The examination will be held over 10 days. A total of 622,351 private candidates and school students are sitting for the exam this year, with an overwhelming majority of them being school candidates.
The importance of Sri Lanka’s prevailing education system going beyond the traditional exam-centric, marks-based approach has been stressed many a time, but to no avail. Sri Lanka has unfortunately missed the most important part, that textbook-based education is not sufficient to create better people. Amidst countless hardships, Sri Lankan parents strive to give their children the best possible education, with the hope that a proper education is what is needed to make their children, the country’s next generation, get ahead in life by prospering.
The rest of the world, however, has taken many a progressive step to instill good values in the minds of children, in addition to traditional education.
The recent incident where a popular music personality goaded an Opposition MP on social media for the latter allegedly not having what the former thought were “satisfactory” educational qualifications emphasises this situation, and raises the question as to the role traditional education should have in one’s life. Perhaps it is time to address the social norms that are based on the notion that traditional education is the only thing that makes a person intellectual, and the only way one can succeed in life.
In ancient times, Sri Lanka had an education system that gave priority to learning from experiences, nature, and mentors, whereas the current education system is rather built on the concept of memorising what was taught in school for years, and parroting it at an examination that lasts a couple of hours.
Education is important, but so is intelligence. An education system that produces mechanical people without intelligence and denies intelligent people opportunities to contribute, owing to its overt emphasis on formal rote learning and requisite paper qualifications, produces nothing more than a largely mediocre and uninventive population.
The world, especially Sri Lanka, has seen many examples of educated people taking insensitive decisions, and intelligent people taking decisions that are not in step with utilitarian mores.
The Nazi doctors, practicing their peculiar and heinous brand of torture and eugenics under the guise of non-consensual medical experimentation, were also scientists who possessed a high level of education – but the very education system that shaped them had blinded them, and they did not have what it took to empathise with others from different backgrounds.
This is what is wrong. Even though religion, life skills, and social studies are included in Sri Lanka’s education system, the primary objective of learning these subjects is passing examinations, and this is what deters children from making those subjects a part of their lives after the examinations are over.
Is Sri Lanka’s education system outdated? There is no one answer to this question. The issue here is not necessarily Sri Lanka failing to reform its existing traditional education system. In fact, in the past few decades, education authorities have tried to implement a number of reforms in a bid to make sure that Sri Lanka’s education system is in step with international standards, even though some – such as giving tablet computers to Advanced Level students to strengthen IT education – never truly materialised.
The bigger issue is Sri Lanka failing to get rid of the adverse elements of the traditional education system, such as its exam-centricity.
Due to rapidly growing technological advancements and diminishing eco-friendly practices, the world is at a decisive juncture where it has to decide whether to pursue technology-based solutions for the future of the human race, or return to the old ways that were mostly driven by humanity and a love for nature. Therefore, it is high time the world chooses intelligence over education, or a combination of both, as the world’s future depends on it.
At the end of the day, it is the intellectual people, driven by both education and intelligence, that will take the responsibility of propelling the world forward, and teach their successors to transcend traditional learning methods.
Acclaimed Irish Poet Oscar Wilde once said: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Whether our education system is imparting knowledge worth knowing has long been up for debate, and it may explain Sri Lanka’s economic, developmental, and sociocultural position in the world.Intelligence and Education
03 Mar 2021
Intelligence and Education
03 Mar 2021
On Monday commenced the GCE Ordinary Level examination at 4,513 centres. The examination will be held over 10 days. A total of 622,351 private candidates and school students are sitting for the exam this year, with an overwhelming majority of them being school candidates.
The importance of Sri Lanka’s prevailing education system going beyond the traditional exam-centric, marks-based approach has been stressed many a time, but to no avail. Sri Lanka has unfortunately missed the most important part, that textbook-based education is not sufficient to create better people. Amidst countless hardships, Sri Lankan parents strive to give their children the best possible education, with the hope that a proper education is what is needed to make their children, the country’s next generation, get ahead in life by prospering.
The rest of the world, however, has taken many a progressive step to instill good values in the minds of children, in addition to traditional education.
The recent incident where a popular music personality goaded an Opposition MP on social media for the latter allegedly not having what the former thought were “satisfactory” educational qualifications emphasises this situation, and raises the question as to the role traditional education should have in one’s life. Perhaps it is time to address the social norms that are based on the notion that traditional education is the only thing that makes a person intellectual, and the only way one can succeed in life.
In ancient times, Sri Lanka had an education system that gave priority to learning from experiences, nature, and mentors, whereas the current education system is rather built on the concept of memorising what was taught in school for years, and parroting it at an examination that lasts a couple of hours.
Education is important, but so is intelligence. An education system that produces mechanical people without intelligence and denies intelligent people opportunities to contribute, owing to its overt emphasis on formal rote learning and requisite paper qualifications, produces nothing more than a largely mediocre and uninventive population.
The world, especially Sri Lanka, has seen many examples of educated people taking insensitive decisions, and intelligent people taking decisions that are not in step with utilitarian mores.
The Nazi doctors, practicing their peculiar and heinous brand of torture and eugenics under the guise of non-consensual medical experimentation, were also scientists who possessed a high level of education – but the very education system that shaped them had blinded them, and they did not have what it took to empathise with others from different backgrounds.
This is what is wrong. Even though religion, life skills, and social studies are included in Sri Lanka’s education system, the primary objective of learning these subjects is passing examinations, and this is what deters children from making those subjects a part of their lives after the examinations are over.
Is Sri Lanka’s education system outdated? There is no one answer to this question. The issue here is not necessarily Sri Lanka failing to reform its existing traditional education system. In fact, in the past few decades, education authorities have tried to implement a number of reforms in a bid to make sure that Sri Lanka’s education system is in step with international standards, even though some – such as giving tablet computers to Advanced Level students to strengthen IT education – never truly materialised.
The bigger issue is Sri Lanka failing to get rid of the adverse elements of the traditional education system, such as its exam-centricity.
Due to rapidly growing technological advancements and diminishing eco-friendly practices, the world is at a decisive juncture where it has to decide whether to pursue technology-based solutions for the future of the human race, or return to the old ways that were mostly driven by humanity and a love for nature. Therefore, it is high time the world chooses intelligence over education, or a combination of both, as the world’s future depends on it.
At the end of the day, it is the intellectual people, driven by both education and intelligence, that will take the responsibility of propelling the world forward, and teach their successors to transcend traditional learning methods.
Acclaimed Irish Poet Oscar Wilde once said: “Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught.” Whether our education system is imparting knowledge worth knowing has long been up for debate, and it may explain Sri Lanka’s economic, developmental, and sociocultural position in the world.Kapruka
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Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!