Minister of Education Dr. Susil Premajayantha last week stated that the Education Ministry was looking at introducing vocational training courses in schools for students awaiting O/Level results.
Parents and teachers have raised concerns regarding the manner in which this would be implemented. Moreover, they have questioned why the Ministry of Education was not addressing the longstanding issues in the education sector prior to working on these temporary fixes.
While the objective of this exercise is to produce a competent younger generation not only through tertiary education but also from the school education system, the Minister also noted the changes would be made with updated teacher training opportunities, as the ministry would introduce new teaching methods incorporating subjects such as Information Communication Technology (ICT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
Premajayantha explained that the necessary infrastructure such as fibre optic connections, communication facilities, and electricity supply would be provided to 1,000 schools selected for this programme. By introducing the programme, the ministry expects to see a transformative change in education, with a vocational training approach in the school system and university education.
“Through this vocational training course, students awaiting O/Level examination results will have a three-month period to obtain knowledge and skills for their future professional life, regardless of whether they opt for A/Levels,” Premajayantha explained.
The time spent following the vocational training course at school can also be used to reduce the time spent at vocational courses in centres situated throughout the country. Moreover, it will enable the provision of training suitable to fulfil foreign demand for skilled labour.
A band-aid on an oozing wound?
The Sunday Morning spoke to a parent and teacher representing the Government Teachers’ Association for their thoughts on this programme.
A mother, whose daughter had read for the 2022 GCE O/Level examination in June, shared her thoughts under conditions of anonymity.
“My daughter was supposed to sit for her GCE O/Level examination in December 2022. She had to wait for six months to sit for the exam this June. During those six months, there were severe uncertainties after the Ministry of Education announced that the exam would be held in March-April 2023. The dates were then pushed to May-June 2023, with the exam finally being scheduled to take place in June, two weeks after the previously scheduled time in May.
“Due to this delay, a child who wishes to enter A/Level classes has already lost six months. Had she done her exams in December as she was supposed to, she would have had her results by March this year, assuming that the Ministry of Education had been efficient enough.
“I am aware that there are delays because the Covid-19 pandemic caused many challenges for schools in rural areas. Most Government schools did not have the facilities that were available to semi-Government and private schools, whose children were privileged to have online schooling, access to teachers, access to internet services, etc. Ultimately, this will impact the children by delaying their progress. There appear to be no efforts being made to improve efficiency in this regard,” she said.
She also noted that the issues impeding teachers from executing their duties were exacerbating the situation.
“There is a shortage of teachers to correct A/Level exam papers, because the Ministry of Education has not paid the teachers attending paper-marking duties. A teacher who attends paper-marking duties said that they had only been paid the due allowance for paper-marking carried out two years ago, in January this year. Teachers are not receiving their incentives on time, making them uninterested in attending paper-marking duties.
“Children have to start their A/Level education without knowing their O/Level results. They will lose even more time if they fail to secure an acceptable score for the mandatory subjects at their O/Levels, which are required in order to qualify for A/Levels, leading to further difficulties if they have to prepare for a second sitting of the said subjects.
“The delay in holding the exams is continuing. Parents of students who are scheduled to sit for the GCE O/Level examination this December have said that this exam is also being postponed to April 2024. This shows that the Ministry of Education is not really addressing the issue at hand. The authorities could have looked at holding at least three exams this year to bridge the gap, but the ministry seems to lack that level of efficiency.”
Accordingly, parents are under pressure to ensure that their children complete their education on time by resorting to various strategies.
“The education system continues to deteriorate and as a result, parents who can afford it are making the tough yet expensive decision to have their children follow A/Level classes under the UK curriculum. However, not every parent can do that. Schools remain hopeful that A/Level examinations for this batch of students will take place on time in August 2025. However, as parents, we have significant doubts in this regard.
“Therefore, introducing vocational training for O/Level students awaiting results seems like sticking a band-aid on an oozing wound. All that the authorities are doing is concealing a problem for a limited time in order to show that they are doing something. In the meantime, the children are floundering and it seems that results will not be out within three months, since they are reportedly yet to finish correcting the 2022 A/Level papers. They will only start marking O/Level papers once A/Level paper-marking is completed.
“Teachers attending paper-marking duties have said that A/Level results will only be available in October or November, which will add another couple of months until the paper-marking for O/Levels commences and results are released. The country’s State education system does not seem to be functioning in an efficient way, with Government schools having to play catch-up.”
As such, she noted that the proposed vocational training would be an exercise in futility.
“Under such a backdrop, the introduction of vocational training for a three-month period appears to be a step that authorities are undertaking to tick a box off their checklist. It diverts attention from the fact that children will not be getting exam results on time. However, if they follow the vocational training programme to build their skill levels, the authorities will feel a level of satisfaction.
“The authorities need to fix the most significant problem, which is the education system and holding national examinations in a timely manner. If this delay continues, children will be losing almost a year between sitting for their O/Levels and starting A/Levels. Furthermore, they will also lose about another year-and-a-half until they gain entry to State universities. As far as education in Sri Lanka is concerned, we haven’t made much progress.
“Perhaps the Government could look at reallocating a portion of the defence budget to education and improve infrastructure, provide better transportation in rural areas, and improve accessibility to computers and internet services so that students could continue their education efficiently.”
Need for a master plan for education
The Sunday Morning also spoke to Government Teachers’ Association General Secretary Shehan Dissanayake on how the teachers viewed the implementation of vocational training in schools.
“Vocational training programmes cannot be completed within a three-month period. Instead of introducing temporary fixes to produce professionals, the education system should follow a master plan. I understand that Education Minister Premjayantha means well when he suggests these programmes, but these cannot be implemented over a few weeks since we also lack skilled and qualified teachers to conduct these programmes in schools.”
Dissanayake opined that the country should at least adopt a 10-year master plan which would implement these education-related reforms gradually, stressing that the authorities should adhere to the plan regardless of who the education minister was and follow through with reforms.
He also suggested that the Education Ministry restructure the subjects included in the A/Level arts stream: “When students select the biology, maths, and commerce streams, they are studying subjects relevant to their field of study and later to their selected profession. However, when it comes to the arts stream, it should be renamed as social sciences and the subjects offered need to be relooked at and restructured to match the fields of study.”
Dissanayake noted that the Ministry of Education should also consider converting teacher training institutes into universities, since this would provide the necessary environment to produce graduates in the teaching service.
“Presently the B.Ed. and M.Ed. qualifications issued through the National Institute of Education (NIE) do not have international recognition. Even converting the teacher training institutes to universities would require a plan of several years, since we would need lecturers and professors specialised in education to deliver the lectures,” Dissanayake elaborated.
According to Dissanayake, these measures are essential if the education system in Sri Lanka is to see quality improvements in order to produce profession-oriented students who would integrate into the workforce as they leave school or complete their higher studies.