Public to be awake to the dangers of education in Sri Lanka - FUTA

Friday, 03 January 2014

'FUTA appeals to the public to be awake to these dangers and to ensure that those who are elected to represent their interests are held accountable to their actions' said by FUTA on the statement on suspending Grade 5 Scholarship.

See full statement below

The recent decision of the Minister of Education Mr Bandula Gunawardene to suspend the Grade 5 Scholarship has generated an intense debate in our society. The intensity of the debate itself is an indication of.the significance of the Grade 5 Scholarship examination for children, and more imporlantly for their parents. In the first place, that the Minister of Education makes sudden and arbitrary policy decisions regarding an issue that is clearly of such importance for the public is of deep concern. In fact, this reflects a seriolls issue with regard to the decision making process of governments not just in education but in other areas as well.
Ministers make sudden pronouncements, and even more suddenly decisions are reversed. There are already signals that the decision regarding the Grade 5 scholarship too will be reversed in the not too distant future. This is not how stable governments make imporlant policy decisions. This is a reflection of a regime that is out of touch with reality, with the public, and is only concerned with political survival.

The origin of the Grade 5 scholarship can be traced to the decision to provide an opportunity for children from underprivileged circumstances to enter some of the top schools in the country. It was yet another initiative to equalise educational oppofiunities in this country - an impofiant consideration for policymakers of the past. However, there is no doubt that subsequently, the Grade 5 scholarship too became a victim of Sri Lanka's deteriorating education system and is now a huge psychological burden for children. Also, it is not evident, that the original intention of the scholarship scheme is being fulfilled. However, it still remains one of the few opportllnities where merit rather than political or social connections and favours are rewarded.

Suspending the Grade 5 Scholarship examination under these circumstances, will shut down even this remaining vestige of a merit based reward scheme in the current school system.

This will enable politicians to interfere even more so than they do now, in school admissions. We are of the opinion, that this, rather than any consideration of the children's wellbeing influenced Mr Gunawardene's decision.

Fufthermore, in a context where the government continues to deprive schools of facilities, cut funding for education and neglect the importance of addressing serious disparities in the provision of quality education, eliminating the Grade 5 scholarship is not going to achieve anything meaningful. The competition for entering 'good' schools will continue, children will be subjected to great mental pressure due to unhealthy levels of competition and parents will continue to experience high levels of stress trying to enter their children to 'good' schools. ln fact, parents will face a furlher barrier since they will have to run behind
politicians even more so than now if they want to ensure a good education for their children.

ln the view of FUTA, the decisions made by this regime with regard to education are clear indicators of their complete disregard and in fact contempt of values such as equality, justice and good governance. No other government has damaged the education system of this country quite as much as the current one. It is, in our opinion, futile to appeal to the good sense or conscience of the Minister who has singularly failed to display either in the past. We appeal to the public to be awake to these dangers and to ensure that those who are elected to represent their interests are held accountable to their actions.