Education reforms must aim to overhaul socioeconomic structure

• However, it is a widely accepted view that the education system in Sri Lanka must be transformed in its structure and content

There seems to be insufficient public discourse on the proposed education reforms, except for politically motivated or self-centred criticisms by political parties and trade unions. The students, who are the target group of these reforms and their parents seem to be in the dark.

About a month ago, the Education Ministry was denounced for allegedly excluding subjects such as history from the curriculum, and then it seems to have been forgotten, while another issue, the extension of school day and subject periods, became the subject matter. Also, sexuality education for higher classes has become a bone of contention. 

However, it is a widely accepted view that the education system in Sri Lanka must be transformed in its structure and content. Yet, any set of reforms should be a part of a long-term overhaul of the system that would, in turn, impact the economy and the social fabric of the country while enhancing social harmony through an awareness and devotion to embrace diversity and inclusivity. 

The central issue in our education system is no doubt the vast gap in the sharing of resources between the urban and rural schools. For instance, Water supply in Sri Lankan schools varies, with 76% having access to safe drinking water, often from wells or piped sources, while 16% have no water facilities at all, and 8% lack safe access, according to reports. Around 500 schools across the country lack access to safe drinking water for students, according to the Sri Lanka Principals’ Association. The gap between related sanitary facilities in schools is wider than this, which is said to have prevented tens of thousands of students from schooling. 

Students in some areas of the country have to trek on foot several miles to reach their schools for want of safe roads and transport facilities, while students of some schools travel to schools in luxury vehicles. Even the Education Ministry admits that there are schools with a surplus of teachers while there is a severe shortage of teachers in others. During the time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the country, it was revealed that the education of students in a large number of schools in the country was hampered due to a lack of internet facilities in their areas. 

This discrepancy in facilities inevitably creates a disadvantageous situation for the already affected schools of the poor, by way of teachers and students leaving them, and ultimately leading them to close down. Approximately 1,500 schools with fewer than 50 students are slated for closure, though the Ministry of Education states that decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis and will include a plan to relocate students to nearby, upgraded schools. 

Students in Sri Lanka face intense competition to enter schools with many facilities and popularity, particularly through exams like the Grade Five Scholarship, which significantly impacts future opportunities. This competition is driven by a limited number of spots in top schools, which are perceived as gateways to better resources and a better future, leading to high pressure on students from a young age. 

This also leads many schools to pursue ethnically divisive admission policies. Some girls’ schools justify this divisive mindset and the discrimination, sometimes using the school uniforms. Interestingly, such divisive admission policies are not evident in paid international schools.  

The divisive mindset of school administrations prevents students from mingling with peers of various communities and learning to respect “others”, which is a sine qua non for the most sought-after reconciliation in a country where possibly over a hundred thousand lives have been lost in a three-decade-long war stemming from ethnic differences. 

Students are left to themselves after O/L to decide what subject stream they have to choose without being guided by experts in the job market and trends in higher education. More than half of the students end their formal education there and attempt to seek employment. What is worse is that education in Sri Lanka is not much in par with the trends in the economy, leaving students who have already dropped out of school midway. 

Thus, education reform proposals should be formulated in a manner that addresses these and related issues in the long run. 

‘Your Thought’ is a space, a right of the readers to support or contradict and discuss the issues highlighted in the editorial and other articles in the editorial and op-ed pages. Designed as the reader’s editorial; our readers can send in their writings, with a word count not exceeding 200, to ‘Your Thought’, Daily Mirror Political Features Desk, No 8, Hunupitiya Cross Road, Colombo 2 or email to [email protected]