I
just happened to come across a blog article entitled the confessions of a
disgruntled student, and I wish to bring my readers to a point within it which
needs further elaboration, namely the way forward.
The
education SYSTEM, from Montessori to Post Graduate does not exist today. It is
NOT that there is a system, or that it is not functioning, it is simply that
there is NO structure that one can follow within the state system to obtain a
modicum of satisfaction that it contributes to personal or national fulfillment.
One
can ONLY fulfill one’s educational potential in a private education system in
Sri Lanka and NOT in a Free Education State Structure. There is no holistic and
comprehensive educational infrastructure, and only a lucky few are able to
benefit from the state, to achieve their objectives. If one does not have the
wherewithal to finance one’s ambitions and goals, there is no hope for the
rest.
If
you want results, then you have to set up a clearly defined structure that adheres
to basic concepts. A future structure MUST give the confidence to the student
that it CAN provide him or her the tools to achieve life’s goals.
It
is an appropriate time to rethink education and set up the parameters. Let us
go back to basics and ask some key questions and agree on basic concepts to
achieve a clearly defined education policy.
1
What is the critical starting point?
2
What is it that we are to achieve in the end?
3
What are the current resources we can work
with?
4
What additional resources must we allocate?
5
Who should take responsibility for its
implementation?
6
How do we measure the success?
7
How much detail of policy should we publicize
in advance?
8
How can we test public understanding and
acceptance of our approach?
9
How can it be de politicized, so that the
policy operates no matter who is in government or in power?
10
Can one obtain all party and all community
acceptance of it, and accordingly free it from future political interference?
11
Draft the final policy document.
Let
us only try and answer the first question here. Where do we start? What came
first the Chicken or the Egg type question. This is critical to our approach.
We know we have a problem. We must fix it and we must do it with the current
system in place and with the current players, namely bureaucrats, teachers,
principals, parents and students. They are all stakeholders in this exercise
and one has to have complete compliance and acceptance or at least no
resistance from them.
It
is with this given starting point that we must make the needed sea change! I
suggest a two pronged approach in its commencement. Firstly by introducing a pre school teacher training
program with a set of standards that are ESSENTIAL for all pre-school teachers,
one will be able to begin the enquiring mind of the child from the very
beginning. Explore, create, discover and relate. A different structure from now
of rote learning, forcing memorization, and stifling enquiry at the start. This
will set the foundation for future learning.
The
other crucial area is to obtain the best teacher trainers around, and upgrade
all teachers, by training ALL teachers, on courses relating to learning in a
manner that elicits the best in students. There is NO point in talking about
improving education, if teachers have not been given the best training on
effective and productive teaching. We can use modern techniques in teaching as
it will only be a matter of time, where distance learning modules are in
standard use. The resources used to train a teacher are an investment of
immeasurable value. They will produce productive results for years to come, unlike
many of the white elephants that Sri Lanka has invested in to date.
The
teacher trainers and training programs must be prioritized with the subjects that
are least represented, most needed for the current skills requirement being considered
first, and retraining courses commenced.
The
above suggestions should be implemented forthwith, with least disruption on existing
protocols of syllabi. It will be seamless if managed effectively by schools.
This
starting point is NOT going to be countered by demonstrations and lack of will.
It would normally be universally hailed as a breakthrough in thinking! It will begin
to show results almost immediately. Nothing that is advocated is controversial.
It is the knowledge of those making decisions, and the type of educator we use,
seeing eye to eye, could be an issue and we must anticipate and know how to diffuse
any tension. We have to begin this transition somewhere, and if Bill Gates, is to
be believed, students must provide feedback on the teachers as an integral part
of the system to improve the quality of education.
2 comments:
When I went to local Uni many years ago one of the points of protest against setting up a Private Medical College was that the state University system would be given step child treatment.
That is what has come to pass. The upper middle class and the politicians do not care about the State Uni system as their children go to the Private Universities in the country and abroad.
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