Suitability of the Current Education System of Sri Lanka. An analytical article with the current perspectives.

1. Current Education System of Sri Lanka: Suitable?
Sri Lankan education system is one of the long history bounded systems where the country
population has a 92% (as per Ministry of Education website and some records states 95%) of
literacy rate. Education for Sri Lankan people is a fundamental right. It plays a very prominent
role in people’s life while upholds the culture of the country. Sri Lankan education system is
divided into 5 major categories such as Pre-Primary (Age 4-5 years old), Primary (Grade 1-5),
Junior Secondary (Grade 6-9), Senior Secondary (Grade 10 & 11) and Collegiate (Grade 12 &
13). Grade 5, Grade 11 and Grade 13 are eternally considered as the main hurdles for the
students to get through in our education system. For a student to perform better in his/her life,
quality & strong education is mandatory.
Grade 1 to grade 5 has become chaotic to all the small kids these days where they struggle to
find freedom and leisure time out of this busy system with bag full of text books and other
related materials which is almost 10 kg. No time at all for leisure and other creative activities.
Age like 5 to 11 years is the most perfect period for kids to come up with creative ideas and
enjoy leisure. There is no better place than nature and no better teacher than mistakes. Kids must
make mistakes. Then only they can learn from it. But the current education system does not
allow the kids to enjoy leisure and think creatively. Most of the teachers do not work with the
kids to develop them. Rather they try to get everything done through the parents to live an easy
life.
As per the education development history of Sri Lanka, in 1997 the framework was developed
based on five basic sets of competencies such as communication, ethics and religion,
environment, play and leisure, and learning how to learn. Later, in 2007 two more competencies
were added such as learn to live and personality development. It has become an enormous
disbelief that whether these highlighted competencies are being focused by the current education
systems or not. In Sri Lanka a kid is being admitted at the school at the age of 5 whereas in
Finland a kid is being admitted at the school at the age of 7. But Finland’s literacy rate is 100%.
This will serve enough justification of the point being focused.
Further, competencies are classified into two major categories such as ‘essential’ and ‘desirable’.
Essential competencies can be developed through the syllabus that is being designed for each

2. Grade. The desired competencies can only be developed through the way of teaching and it is
solely depend on the respective teachers’ hand. It is a clear evident that the current education
system does not produce students having appropriate knowledge & skills, understanding &
attitudes appropriate for successful living, personality development, creativity, discipline, team
spirit, respect and tolerance for other people and cultures. The system simply creates the students
as data machines that can get through the examinations where less common sense & attitude and
seldom helpful mindsets are found. The main causes for these are lack of suitable co-curricular
activities, less mentorship of the respective teachers and voracious parents who want their kids to
win the race without any senses inculcated in them.
Worldwide accepted definition is “A teacher is an individual who helps others to acquire
knowledge, competences and values”. Competences and values in student must be developed by
the teachers. A teacher is expected to play wide range of roles as apparently understood. It is
clearly identified that a teacher must be clear in instructions, a very caring person, an expert
learner and a civic person with good culture. These four models are very important for a teacher
to be competent in the field of teaching. And also teachers are required to have proper
Knowledge, adequate Skills and perfect Dispositions. These aspects must be obtained by every
person who wishes to become a teacher. Teaching is a gift of GOD where not all can do it.
Therefore the person who wishes to become a teacher must treat the job as a responsibility given
by GOD on innocent children’s life.
Students must not be created as data machines that can sit for the exam and forget once the exam
is over. This will never produce creators. Our education system must be changed to make more
creative and out of the box thinkers. Therefore, relevant educational sector authorities must
realize the demand of the current world and take necessary steps to set up a competitive and a
competent educational system to make Sri Lanka a settled country in the world.
By
R Mafas
Senior Lecturer & Educationist