Part-III

With a simple reader friendly writing style

Sri Lankan educational culture

Education has become one of the major elements in Sri Lankan society. This is especially in the school education system. The school education system presently has become so competitive, which parents put a great effort into as their first attempt of admitting children to primary education. 

Most of the parents spent a large sum of money as donations to admit their kids to a well reputed school. At the same time parents start their second attempt by  putting an enormous pressure on children for the grade five scholarship exam in the view of providing a well reputed school for secondary studies. But unfortunately the stressful hard work of learners turned up effortless frustration with the great boundaries given for so-called high standard reputed schools. 

Even though parents and teachers  start their third attempt of hunting on O/L results by loading more burden on learners. Fourth and the final school attempt is A/L which is mainly loaded by learners on their own, in the view of entering a university or to find a suitable workplace for the betterment of future life. 

But finally poor parents as well as the learners struggle a lot on finding a clear future destination, even after thirteen years of an imbalanced school education process. They further have to spend a huge sum of money on business oriented private educational institutions to get the future destination clear. 

Unfortunately the final blame is transferred on learners by highlighting their weak points such as; Lack of English and technological knowledge. It’s  really not the problem of learners but an error in the school education system. 

The following example will explain this matter clearly; Most of the mechanics and electricians who are working in garages are failures in school education but superiors in their practical work. Most of them have started work from a small age, due to school having rejected them 

as weak students, which means not good for studies. But this rejection has brought them the blessing to be brilliant and to reach their life destination. When comparing this with the students who were studying hard during full school years and not being able to reach their life destination.

This true reality challenges the school education system for not being able to find out the talents of students correctly and guide them to go in the correct path. This proves that Sri Lankan school education has really failed to provide a productive output even after thirteen years of schooling.  

Sri Lankan school education and its output

The school education system starts with inputs of students who are in their early childhood and the process of blending them with the main society is done for nearly 13 years. This is being done with the direction of subjects, its syllabus and by the guidance of teachers, principals and other official educational authorities. The educational process should always focus on the creativity, discipline and intelligence of students, and to bring up an effective output for society, which really can contribute to uplift the existing society with new innovations society is really looking for.

But as it was mentioned this should have to be discussed again and again, because there is a huge problem with the output of the Sri Lankan school education system. This is because the Sri Lankan school education process is not using its input of children in the right process. Instead of creating a creative output, what they do is make them blunt with outdated huge study packs.

Unfortunately learners in those societies are like the sailors who had lost their way in the deep ocean. They never know where to go and what to do. In the same way, learners who have lost their way of future in the ocean of society struggle a lot to build up the future which was totally spoiled by the school education system and the other responsibilities. The most pathetic situation is, this is being done for the most important and crucial future making magical teenagers.

When looking deeply, a large majority of learners never have a clear future ambition. They never know where to go? and what to do? But what they do is schooling even after they have reached the final stage in their teenage years. They start to think and build up their future after they finish their teen stage. Many of them start following additional English language courses, computer and other technological courses to build up their future. Very few are selected for higher studies in state universities. Less rich minorities go abroad for higher studies and some start higher studies in domestic paid higher education Institutions, but the majority just spoil their future. Unfortunately they realise this truth of reality after becoming fed up with everything. Finally they get to know that they had just wasted their precious time in school by gaining nothing.

My research observation was able to grasp a few common blames on the Sri Lankan school education system by those who had already finished it. The main blame was ;

“There’s no use of what we had studied during school, no use of school education, with what we do now. It’s totally different from what we learned and now what we do. It was just a waste of time.” Large majority of youth said ; 

“School didn’t allow us to do what we liked. They gave us what they wanted, they even didn’t allow us to select A’ level subjects as we wished. Instead of that, what they did was they selected subjects on their own and forced us to do them. But now the school is not there. Only thing, we just wasted our valuable time.” 

“School didn’t find our talents. Parents and teachers were just pushing us to study for exams, but finally we got nothing. They were pushing us to pass the A’ level exam and enter to the university, but the reality how much we studied even only very few numbers can enter to the state universities. What is going to happen for others, they never talk about it. We didn’t even have knowledge on this.”

This is the reality of the Sri Lankan school education system. They are totally killing the talents of students and finally put the entire blame on them. But even up to now they don’t want to accept the real truth and to get rid from their rooted stagnated ideologies. Instead of that they always try to strengthen their framed conventional system which never supports a fruitful future.

The beauty is many talk about this, but no one is ready to change. This is because of their major blind belief of, with a real change they may lose their prestige.  At the same time, if learners start to realise the truth, it will be difficult to cheat the future society as the authorities wish. Therefore they always try to promote cultural and religious barriers beyond the limits to control not only learners but also the entire society. Even though this causes a greater disaster for the future society than their benefits, which they should understand.

If they can come out of blind beliefs and come out with a friendly education system they will never lose their respect and prestige. Learners will be more open and will love them honestly. Future societies will be filled with love, happiness and respecting each and everyone without any discrimination based on race, religion, colour, gender, mind capacity or whatever other racial ideologies.