Education in Sri Lanka: A radical change required

I recently read an article in the newspapers which referred to some observations made by the German Ambassador in Sri Lanka. According to the article, he had stated that “it’s time to realistically weigh in on higher education qualifications and the types of skill demanded by the market and begin to treat competent craftsmen in informal clothes and flip-flops as valued people of the community”. 

“It’s time to turn round the picture. The young craftsmen in shorts, T-shirt and flip-flops like the one you see in your soap-operas need to be respected because they possess the technical and technological skills demanded by today’s industry and the market,” Dr. Juergen Morhard had pointed out at the German-Sri Lanka Business Council meeting held recently.  

The German Ambassador’s candid comments point to some of the core areas that we in Sri Lanka should address, in relation to our education system, as a matter of highest national priority. In short, what he has highlighted is the need to produce competent people, with the right type of skills, demanded by today’s industry and market. 

 

Frequently-heard comments

As a sequel to the German Ambassador’s comments, I wish to highlight some frequently heard comments about the education system in Sri Lanka. These are as follows:

We are producing too many arts graduates; technical education and vocational training should be given more emphasis; rote learning is given more prominence, and as a result, problem solving skills and original/creative thinking are not promoted through our education system; subjects such as mathematics and science should be given more prominence; the pass rate in mathematics at the ordinary level examination is only 57% (2013); the pass rate in English at the Ordinary Level examination is only 48% (2013); students fear the subject of mathematics; students are made to carry overweight school bags; sports and extracurricular activities are not adequately promoted; when engaging in sports the emphasis is not on good sportsmanship, but on winning somehow; students cannot pass exams without tuition; our education system is exam oriented and not research oriented; teamwork is not adequately emphasised, and as a result, we produce selfish people who are highly individualistic in their approach to life and living; students want to live and work abroad rather than in Sri Lanka; in universities, students merely cram the lecture notes and reproduce them at exams instead of engaging in reference/research and broadening their knowledge; Sri Lanka should increase its expenditure on education up to 6% of the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product).

The above concerns and comments have been hovering in the public domain for some time. However, little or nothing seems to have been done to address these concerns. I intend discussing some of these concerns through this article. 

Sri Lanka has lagged behind many countries in many areas in past decades due to many reasons. Of course the 30-year war with which the country was hamstrung was a major impediment. However, our education system was undoubtedly a major contributory factor to our backwardness. Our students are made to chase after mere paper qualifications and as a result they miss out on essential life-skills which are required for them to be productive people. 

 

Getting our priorities right

The above discussion highlights the need to put our heads together and radically change our education system. Let us start from the beginning. From a very young age students should be encouraged to engage in group work and engage in research projects as groups. They should be encouraged to present their research findings through appropriate group/individual presentations to their peers. The rest of the class should be encouraged to engage in constructive criticism in relation to what has been presented to them. 

From a tender age students should be encouraged to come up with their own ideas on how various problems can be solved utilising creative/out-of-the box thinking. If students are not encouraged to come up with their own ideas, they will become slavish individuals who will only be able to project borrowed ideas. As a result, innovation and creative thinking will not blossom and we as a nation will only move backward not forward.  

Aren’t students preparing for their Ordinary Level examination made to study too many subjects? Other than the core subjects of Mathematics, English and Science can’t they be given the option to select the rest of the subjects based on their preferred course of study (i.e. combined mathematics, technical stream, commerce etc.) for the Advanced Level? 

Such a rationalisation of subjects at the ordinary level stage will reduce the workload of students (with the additional benefit of a school bag which will weigh less) and help them to focus more on their preferred course of study.  A lesser workload will also afford them more time to engage in sports and other extracurricular activities which will help them to become well rounded men and women capable of facing life with confidence.  

 

Mathematical ‘problems’

Mathematics is a subject that needs to be taught properly, particularly from a tender age. The fear that many students have for mathematics stems from the fact that it is not taught properly. As a result many students have developed a phobia for mathematics. I am reminded of a line from a popular song in Sinhala which goes “ganan thamai mage hithata vade, nitharama varadinava” (which roughly translates into English as “maths is my bane, I often get my sums wrong”). 

It’s unfortunate that mathematics should be considered a curse by many students, not due to their fault, but as a result of the subject not being taught properly. Therefore, teacher training in relation to mathematics will have to be accorded the highest priority. Mathematics involves logical thinking and reasoning and it’s a beautiful language which can be used to express ideas clearly and concisely. This absorbingly interesting subject comes within the ambit of so many other subjects, including economics. Therefore, gaining some form of proficiency in mathematics is important for all citizens of a country in order to achieve national developmental objectives.  

As in the case of mathematics, English too should be taught properly to students from a tender age. Again teacher training is crucial. The low pass rate of 48% in English at the ordinary level examination (2013) says it all.   

 

This is ‘my view’

In addition to the above subject related observations, I would like to highlight the importance of producing people who can engage in critical thinking and analysis. People capable of critical thinking and those with good analytical skills are in short supply. Instead of displaying these attributes, quite often we find people mouthing other people’s views, rather than coming out with their own views. They seem to be afraid to present their own ideas, thinking that if they do so, they will be found fault with. 

Our education system should rectify these deficiencies and aim to empower students with analytical skills while encouraging originality and creativity. Students should be encouraged to voice their own views courageously. Public speaking and presentation skills should also be inculcated in students from a young age. They should learn how to present and defend their views while being open to constructive criticism.  

Another drawback in our education system is that it is mostly oriented towards university education. There is far more scope to develop technical education and vocational training. By way of comparison, in Germany, while there are over 100 Universität (Universities), there are also more than 165 Fachhochschulen (Universities of Applied Science). Sri Lanka needs greater numbers of craftsmen and people with technical and technological skills - the skills demanded by today’s industry and the market - as pointed out by the German Ambassador, Dr. Juergen Morhard.

 

Conclusion

The Sri Lankan education system requires a qualitative change. Merely increasing the expenditure on education will not automatically bring about the desired outcomes. Spending more on providing more of the same type of education will not help the country to move forward. The emphasis should be on what we are going to spend that money on, rather than on the amount of money that we are going to spend on education. 

It is high time that we take a good look at the education systems in countries like Germany, Singapore, UK, USA and Japan and see how we can draw lessons from those systems to develop our own system of education. However, we cannot take ages doing this. Time is of the essence. We need to act fast and reform our education system or else we will only succeed in encouraging our younger generation to seek education abroad. The danger is that having gone abroad to pursue their higher studies, that generation may opt not to return to the country. 

The difference among countries will be increasingly determined by the difference in their respective education systems. Sri Lanka has to decide what its place is going to be on the global stage. 

“The way to a better life is through hard work, first in schools, then in universities or polytechnics and then on the job in the work place. Diligence, education and skills will create wealth” – Goh Keng Swee (independent Singapore’s first Finance Minister).

(The writer counts over two decades of experience in the field of economic research in the private sector. He has earned a Bachelor’s degree in Economics, an MA in Economics and a PhD in Economics at the Department of Economics of the University of Colombo. He can be reached at [email protected]).