Tuesday, August 2, 2016

Over 316,000 students begin their A level Examinations today. What future do they have in store for them?


Sri Lanka does a huge disservice to its students, whose whole goal of achievement is to obtain a good Z score and go into University, as they have been lead to believe that a degree from a state university is a ticket out of hell!


This notion, which I have broadly generalized is the WRONG way to go, as it completely devalues the person’s aptitude and instead forces the person to follow a course that his or her results determine. So to quote the example of those who obtain the relevant Z score to get into the Agricultural Faculties, go into an Agriculture Degree (70% of those entering being female) with NO INTENTION of using it in future, but believe that the degree itself, both permits them to get a Government Job, and ALSO improves their marital prospects! All for the wrong reasons, and the State has wasted funds in training the wrong people.

Therefore this A level exam is a crap shoot, where ONLY the ones who get the best results, about 1% of those sitting, who can actually choose the subject they wish to follow, and even then, if they get the relevant Z score to get into Medical School there is a HUGE amount of pressure put on them by their families to follow that route, even though the student may not have ANY aptitude to be a good doctor!

It is quite clear from the output from Medical Faculties, those who cost the State over Rs10M in educating them, come out with some degree of entitlement that creates a monster who is greedy with NO bedside manner, and an attitude problem. The Doctors actually turn out to be those who pay their own way, and go to foreign universities, and return to work in Public Hospitals and serve their Country, NOT having used State resources for their education, but who are willing to put their money where their desires are and serve this Country. Ironic isn’t it?


In summary therefore, those who are of real benefit to Sri Lanka are NOT those who obtain HIGH Z scores and enter state Universities but those who use their A levels to follow their dream by paying for their education. The second tier so to speak. I would therefore advise any student to do their best, and most of all if they do not get into University, NOT to get upset, but say to themselves it is a blessing in disguise, and they will not become monsters of the State misusing their privileges, getting involved in the Rag and IUSF as an act of initiation, and in the end lose whatever competence, independence and vision they may have brought to the table. Just look at the products of the state University system for examples!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Tuition Lobby and crammers that help hopeless cases get into University by showing them how to obtain the best marks using the exam answering techniques actually do a disservice to these incompetent students who get good grades, NOT because they are good, but because for 6 months they had intensive exam preparation.

We in Sri Lanka have to suffer for this because these WRONG people go to University. Just give a simple out of the box common sense sense question which any kid in a village can answer, and I will bet 50% of those who obtain University Entrance will get it wrong.

It is the fault of the system that gives places to those who cannot contribute anything for the future of Sri Lanka

Anonymous said...

Another little known fact is that those who even get into Harvard or Stanford from Sri Lanka may not get the needed Z scores in the local exams to get into the Sri Lankan University. However Colombo University is not even ranked in the top 1000 universities. So what does that tell you? Our entrance criteria is WRONG.

WE MUST CHANGE IT SUBSTANTIALLY so only capable people follow courses of interest and use to them, not to their parents who make the choice for them.

Anonymous said...

Kalpanakaranna - Ratata yahapathak vena vidiyata gunathmaka bhawaya thoranna. Lakunu walin witharak madi.

Buruwo pamanak vishwavidyalayata dan yanna

Anonymous said...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3719081/Fast-track-job-interviews-impatient-graduates-Finance-giant-KPMG-squashes-assessment-process-used-weeks-single-day.html