Ceylon Today Editorial

Grade V Scholarship: Are We Continuing Education Torture?

 24 August 2016

It's that time of the year where all serious-minded individuals and those who think they are serious (social media warriors and libertarians, we are looking at you) start criticizing the psychological implications of the Grade Five Scholarship examination on students. Like last year, this year also the criticism comes on time. And it is most welcome because it is necessary.

The criticism is justified in many ways. With time, the Grade Five Scholarship examination has become redundant with more students following spoofed studying methods such as memorizing verbatim without proper understanding of facts, only to pass the scholarship examination and face a bigger challenge in the next two exams. And the next two exams – the GCE Ordinary Level and the Advanced Level – do not treat kindly to those who follow studying methods of yore.

Statistics wise, the situation cannot be anything but a hunky dory garden of flowers. Last year out of the 340, 926 of those who sat the scholarship exam, a considerable 70 per cent was able to attain a pass mark of 70. However, what statistics won't reveal is how many of that 70 per cent will successfully complete GCE Ordinary Level or Advanced Level.

To think of it rationally, a student who sits for the scholarship exam in a small school, with the intention of entering a soidisant city school will face more complications in his or her student life. The entire idea behind the Grade Five Scholarship exam itself reinforces the idea of 'big school, city school' among the populace when in reality, it has its own negative consequences.

Students are put under a truck load of immense pressure to succeed in life, provide for the family so that the Pater can retire and live at home while the student, after sacrificing thirty years of his life to study can finally find a meagre salary. So much pressure for a ten year old, don't you think? One can argue that it builds character, makes them more efficient in following orders and good workers and even better citizens. But this pressure and impact has to have some kind of dire negative consequences in their lives, which might not manifest until later.

Another facet undisclosed by statistics; among the annual suicide related cases are those connected to examination or family pressure. None of the governments or the education authorities has time for that, we assume.

The most recent criticism against the Grade Five Scholarship examination comes from the remote town of Wilgamuwa. As the story is reported, the invigilators of the exam at the Wilgamuwa, Nugagolla Vidyalaya in Matale, had not given ample time for the students to finish the exam. According to the students, the invigilators have ordered the students not to start answering the paper, until they say so. Things naturally went sour from there, when the invigilators had told the students to start answering the papers with only half an hour to spare.

The subsequent reaction from the parents was obvious. The invigilators were barred from leaving the exam hall premises until a solution was given to the injustice. The dumbfounded invigilators were only let out after the Police intervened and dispersed the crowd.

Ceylon Today later learned that the Department of Examinations is currently conducting an inquiry in order to determine what happened that day. The inquiry also hopes to recommend what steps to take in order to respond to the matter.

This clearly is not enough. When so many things could be done, this inquiry seems to be the work of a layman who takes this situation with a grain of salt. The Grade Five Scholarship examination has become redundant and should be withdrawn as soon as possible. Instead, another more opportune solution can be sought after. Instead of promoting 'big city schools' ideals among the populace, schools in remote and other locations, can be developed and improved by the government. This will allow such schools to provide the students a better education, attract more efficient teachers who are keen on educating the student masses.

Education should make life easier and currently it is making things worse for our children. This education torture should not continue at any cost. If it does, our country will never develop intellectually, but would only develop with concrete constructions and tall buildings. Our future generations will be overrun by mindless slaves who will not innovate or be creative. Or better yet, succeed at all in life.

Daily News Editorial

Northern development

24 August 2016

The Northern Province used to be one of the most prosperous regions in the country before the conflict began in the early 80s. For the next 30 years, it suffered immensely as economic and social development took a backseat. The North, and to some extent the East, became poorer than the poorest districts of the South. An entire generation grew up in the North without knowing anything other than the brutality of conflict.

Post-2009, the North regained the opportunity of achieving economic development. However, the Government led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa began a development drive in the North sans commensurate measures to resolve certain outstanding social problems in the region such as resettlement and livelihood and ownership restoration. While physical development was deemed essential for the war-battered province, it was even more important to win the hearts and minds of the people of the region. The previous Government failed miserably in this endeavour.

On the other hand, the present Government led by President Maithripala Sirisena has embarked on an ambitious drive to address the concerns of the Northern masses. It has since then handed over a large number of lands occupied by the Security Forces without affecting the security equation in any way, whilst working on addressing the other grievances. As a result, now there is a situation where development and investment needs can again be considered in a proper context.

Democracy was restored in the North when the Provincial Council Elections were held and most political commentators were rather pleased that former Justice C.V. Vigneswaran was appointed as the Chief Minister. However, before long it became apparent that his views were diametrically opposite to what moderates in the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) were advocating. Nevertheless, the present Government addressed some of the NPC’s concerns. For example, a civilian Governor was appointed to the North.

What is now required is a joint effort by the NPC and the Central Government to address the development and social needs of the North despite any real or perceived differences between the two. These can be resolved politically. They should be singing from the same hymn sheet if the North is to develop. In this light, the apparent boycott of the just concluded Northern Investment Forum by Chief Minister Vigneswaran makes no sense. Several TNA MPs were present on this occasion to support the cause of Northern investment.

The event, organised by Northern Province Governor Reginald Cooray, attracted a large number of Tamil Diaspora members, other foreign investors and local investors. Resettlement and Prison Reforms Minister S. Swaminathan has said the investment forum was a significant event in the Northern Province and would help bring back investors to the region. The forum showcased the opportunities available in the province which includes the districts of Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, Vavuniya and Mannar. Tourism alone, which is emerging only now in the province, has the potential to make a big difference to the region. The According to the Board of Investment, the Northern Province has attracted over Rs. 3,315 million worth of Foreign Direct Investments for 2016 alone.

Vigneswaran’s conduct contrasts sharply with that of the mainstream TNA, which recently promoted investments in the North during a visit to Tamil Nadu. It is no secret that Vigneswaran and the TNA do not see eye to eye on many issues, but developing the North should not be one of them. This could also send mixed signals to the International Community and even more crucially, to the Tamil Diaspora. Most members of the Tamil Diaspora are now yearning to either come back home or invest in Sri Lanka from their adopted countries. They should not be discouraged by this kind of petty politics.

Granted, there are many things the Government is yet to do as far as problems faced by Northerners are concerned, but the fact is that this Government has shown real commitment to resolving all those issues. It is not an overnight process. All stakeholders must be fully committed to the cause of developing the North.

The question remains about a political framework that can bring lasting peace and reconciliation to the North and to the country in general. The Government is handling this issue on multiple fronts including probing where we went wrong in the past. The new Constitution which will be drafted after the widest process of political consultation in local history is believed to be the ultimate solution to the problems regarding power sharing. The Members of Parliament of the TNA are closely involved in this process.

It is time for Vigneswaran and some of his associates to take stock of the ground realities and give up certain ideas which are clearly not practical in the present circumstances. There is no need for a collision course at this stage when the Government is doing its best to restore the Northern Province to its former glory. This is a time for unity and reconciliation among all political forces in order to take the country forward.

The Island Editorial

Children crying for justice

24 August 2016

We front-paged, on Tuesday, a picture of a child in tears among some crestfallen Grade Five Scholarship Examination (GFSE) candidates and their irate parents protesting against a serious lapse on the part of the invigilators at an examination centre. Those hapless students are reported to have lost 20 minutes of the time allocated for answering the question paper as they were not given proper instructions. It is only natural that their parents were fit to be tied.

The GFSE causes immense suffering to the young candidates and their parents alike as is common knowledge. It takes years of hard work for students to score enough marks to enter schools of their choice. Failing that examination is something they cannot come to terms with so easily. There have been instances where unsuccessful candidates even underwent cruel punishment at the hands of their frustrated parents. But, we have the main political parties boasting of their contribution to the development of the education sector!

There are various organisations campaigning hard to save free education, which has been reduced to a mere political slogan. Most state-run schools have outsourced teaching to the providers of supplementary tuition. Free school textbooks have, no doubt, stood the ordinary children in good stead. (The incumbent government has, in its wisdom, scrapped the provision of uniform material and introduced a voucher system in its place!) However, the prohibitive cost of private tuition, school transport etc makes one wonder whether it is a misnomer to call what is provided by the state-run school system free education.

The state, under successive governments, has manifestly failed in its duty by its citizenry to safeguard children’s right to education free from discrimination. Instead of making a determined effort to develop all schools so as to enable each and every child to receive a decent education governments during the last several decades have facilitated the development of only some of them and categorised them as 'popular schools'.

Most children from ordinary families fail to enter their dream schools for want of money to pay bribes or political influence. The only way they can think of realising their dream is to pass the GFSE. Some pundits in the garb of ministers attempted to abolish the GFSE some years ago and thankfully they were voted out of power. But, there is no guarantee that their successors will not do likewise. Being the only avenue available for the progeny of the ordinary people to gain admission to the so-called popular schools which are few and far between the GFSE must remain if all seats of learning cannot be developed.

A teachers' union has, in a brief interview with this newspaper, sought to lay the blame for bungling by some GFSE invigilators/supervisors at the Examinations Chief's doorstep. He has to take the flak for this sorry state of affairs, but the blame for that should be apportioned to the teachers on examination duty as well. There is no way they can absolve themselves of the responsibility for the serious lapses at issue.

Conducting an examination is not rocket science. Any teacher who cannot start an examination on time, distribute question papers and collect answer scripts as required by the Examinations Department is not worth his or her salt. It is time the trade unions in the education sector asked their members to pull up their socks without playing the blame game.

If the state is incapable of developing its school system it must at least ensure that the children who fail to secure admission to ‘popular’ schools can sit the GFSE without hassle in a bid to achieve their goal. The onus is on the government to probe the alleged bungling at examination centres and see to it that justice is done to the young victims.