The move by Education Minister Dr. Susil Premajayantha to limit the school term tests to only one per year, no doubt, would be greatly welcomed by both students and parents alike who are filled with tension each time school examinations are due. The decision would also, to some degree, obviate the need for private tuition thereby saving on the family budget. According to the Minister, in future, only one book will be issued for one school term and the school workbook for the three terms will be given to the students in three parts. “This will reduce the heavy weight of the students’ school bags and it will be easy to carry,” he said in an address as the chief guest at the investiture of prefects at the Hewagama Model Primary School recently.
In fact, Minister Dr Premajayantha has introduced many radical changes in the education sector in keeping with the need for upgrading and overhauling the present education system which has become irrelevant from the perspective of employment opportunities.
His move to offer a three-month skill training course for students who had sat for their GCE O/L examination while awaiting their results too is a positive step that will equip them to take up a vocation of their choice outside the academic field.
Through this means children can get an idea about their future professional life by taking up a vocational course even if they decide not to take their A-levels. This will also prepare students to follow future programmes targeting skilled foreign employment opportunities.
In fact, such an arrangement should have been thought of much earlier. Had this been the case most of our youth would have been well-equipped to fit into jobs in the technical fields that are today much in demand but go begging for want of skilled personnel. In fact, such a programme should also target our Arts graduates who are finding it difficult to find employment for the same reason.
It was time that the authorities started to think out of the box and adapt our education system to fit into the job market. As it is, the school curricula and the way they are designed are far removed from the point of view of gainful employment making our youth a frustrated lot. We say this because there are today thousands of youth who may be academically backward but are skilled in other fields that would fit them into professions that do not require academic qualifications. What should be done is to hone these skills in an organised manner so that they could derive the maximum benefit when it is time to look out for employment. Even President Ranil Wickremesinghe had at one time spoken in favour of such an arrangement noting that there were plenty of youth who though wanting in academic brilliance were nevertheless possessed with the ability to earn a decent living based on their skills and talents. For instance, he said there were youth with inborn abilities to fit into different occupations that do not require educational qualifications.
For example, some good sportsmen could earn a comfortable living through their sporting talents as do our National cricketers most of whom are not known for their academic achievements but go on to earn in their millions. The same is also true of those with singing talents and youth skilled in the different arts which could make them well placed in life once they grab the opportunity. Many iconic stars in Western cinema were hardly known for their educational achievements but shone in their chosen field due to their exceptional talents and abilities that set them apart from the rest who were academic-minded. Harrison Ford, the mega movie star who played the lead role in the Indiana Jones series was a carpenter, while Sean Connery the greatest Bond of them all in Ian Fleming’s Super Spy series was a milkman. Charles Bronson the tough guy in the old Westerns was a dishwasher in a hotel. The legendary English cricketer Ian Botham once declared that the only book he ever read was Wisden, known as Cricket’s Bible. This may have been said in a lighter vein but it just about sums up the reality.
Back here too we have had high achievers in the business world who had not seen the inside of a school but struck gold as a result of their hard work perseverance and enterprise. These are but a few examples of the success stories of those who were not known for their superior book knowledge but were able to go places through achievements outside this scope.
While academic achievements certainly can stand one in good stead professionally wise, efforts should also be made to discover and develop all hidden talents of individuals that can take one far on the financial scale.
Minister Dr. Premajayantha should be commended for devising such a scheme that will instead of making the academically ill-equipped feel inferior would instead provide them with the opportunity to achieve success in life. The Minister’s move to do away with examination-based education in the classroom too is a far-sighted step that would make all students on par with each other instead of making those academically backwards humiliated and objects of ridicule. In fact, the entire education set-up should undergo a radical transformation in keeping with the times, instead sticking to the old ways that have proved to be negative and unproductive.
