Protecting a noble profession

THE teaching profession is one of the noblest professions in the world. Teachers have the onerous responsibility of moulding a future generation that respects moral values and social ethics. It would not be wrong to say that the country’s future lies in their hands.

However, recent incidents prove that all is not well with this profession and those engaged in it. The action taken by several trade unions to boycott the marking of A/L answer scripts is one such example. To add insult to injury, many teachers did not report for duty when schools started after the holidays.

The reason given for these actions by teacher trade unions is that they are experiencing salary anomalies. The Government has however noted that such a salary increase could cost billions of rupees to the Treasury. This will be a huge burden on the Government at this stage.

After all, the Government cannot only think of teachers and grant them a salary hike without considering other sectors in the public service.

In any case, the best way to approach this issue is through negotiations, not strikes.

That will enable both sides to work out a compromise formula without bringing innocent students into the picture and jeopardising their future.

Indeed, the teachers’ strike action has affected students around the island. A delay in the processing of A/L exam answer scripts leads to a delay in the release of results, which in turn affects university admissions.

The society still holds teachers in high esteem, though commercialism has also crept into education. It is no secret that many teachers earn a substantial extra income through tuition classes after school hours and during weekends/holidays. Moreover, some of them are known to give priority to the tuition classes.

Another factor affecting students is the ‘brain drain’ of some of the best teachers to international schools mushrooming around the island. This will lead to a situation where fee-paying students could gain an advantage over their counterparts in Government schools.

The time has also come to re-assess the aura surrounding the so-called popular or premier schools. Parents are known to move heaven and earth to get their children admitted to these schools in the main cities.

New guidelines have been issued in respect of Grade One admissions, but the scramble for the ‘best’ schools will not end unless and until we have good schools all over the island.

As an initial measure, a few selected schools in each district must be developed with all facilities so that students living in the periphery do not have to scramble for places in leading city schools.

Providing physical infrastructure to schools is not enough, as long as qualified teachers are not posted.

Many remote schools suffer from a lack of teachers for important subjects such as English and science, which seriously affects the students’ studies.

Some premier schools are known to have a surfeit of teachers and the authorities must take steps to rectify this anomaly.

Sri Lankan Governments have always made substantial budgetary allocation for free education, which now includes free textbooks and uniforms.

Unfortunately, our education system cannot still produce students who match the criteria required by the job market, due to fundamental flaws in the curricula which are not geared to modern needs.

This issue should be urgently addressed as part of the ongoing education reforms and teachers should be more widely involved in evolving a better education system, instead of participating in strikes.