• Students joining Grades 1, 6, 10 in 2023 to be first batch to experience reforms
• NIE positive that exam burden will reduce
• Students to work in groups and do more research
• Pandemic fast-tracks reform process

By Sarah Hannan The general education system in Sri Lanka is gearing to apply drastic changes to its traditional teaching methods with effect from the first academic term of 2023, with plans to bring in research-based learning and promote working in groups. Over the past two years, the Ministry of Education along with the National Institute of Education (NIE) has been preparing the necessary subject modules for various grades, while pilot runs were carried out to observe outcomes. Even during the longstanding teacher union strikes from 2019, an issue that constantly arose was how teachers had to switch to the new method of module-based education without proper training.  According to NIE Director-General Dr. Sunil Jayantha Nawarathna, once the module-based learning programme is implemented, it would ease the burden of national exams. Even grading of examinations would reduce, as 70% of the marks would be based on activity completion and assignment submissions while only 30% of marks would be based on aptitude tests. Speaking to The Sunday Morning, Dr. Nawarathna said: “We will see a drastic change in learning outcomes as well, where students will be allowed to work in groups and spend more time researching the subject matter, instead of memorising and sitting for three-hour exams. The reforms that will come into effect from 2023 will instil the thirst to learn and improve the skill of research-based learning and the ability to work in groups.” The module-based learning will be first implemented for students of Grades 1, 6, and 10. These grades will continue their learning process in line with the reforms over successive years. Drawing parallels to communication devices, Dr. Nawarathna explained that at present, Sri Lanka’s education system’s output was similar to that of an outdated telephone handset, which would have been best suited during the second industrial revolution. Instead, the country required a smartphone that would suit the fourth industrial revolution. “In a nutshell, the knowledge and skill gap we have to bridge for those who finish school, graduate from university, and then join the workforce is quite large. Sri Lanka’s current education system serves only one purpose, which is for students to memorise theories and then reproduce solutions during the examination. This does not widen their skill sets that would be of use when they join the workforce,” Dr. Nawarathna noted. The NIE believes that once the proposed education reform is in place, it will help identify the total expected attributes of 21st-century graduates by the job market, and pave the way to fill those gaps through modern curricula, improved teaching and learning techniques, simplified evaluation, and continuous improvements to the education system. Pandemic fast-tracked reform Meanwhile, educationist Dr. Sujata Gamage opined that the pandemic somewhat fast-tracked students and teachers to embrace the planned reforms a little earlier, with distance learning, activity sheet-based assignments, further research, and reading using mobile devices. “Over the past 18 months, children were forced to do a lot of self-learning, improve their communication skills to use smartphones or computers to share their ideas, complete their assignments, and discuss lessons while being homebound. This is exactly what the reforms that are in the pipeline would roll out, come 2023. Even the teachers had to embrace the use of information technology and work on their presentation skills within that period. I view this as one of the more positive outcomes,” Dr. Gamage explained. Dr. Gamage further noted that this method of learning and educating should continue even after the pandemic ended, since it would bring out the social skills of taking initiative, taking the lead in tasks, improved presentation skills, improved communication skills, and allow the class to identify the unique strengths and behaviours in a team environment. Forgotten and ignored  One of Sri Lanka’s most anticipated national examinations ended last week, and as many would have observed, there were no protests blocking roads and fuel was issued with priority for students and examination duty staff, who could obtain petrol and diesel from fuel stations using their admission cards or identity documents issued by the Department of Examinations. However, the monsoon and extreme weather rained on that temporary relief, inundating roads and classrooms that were used as examination halls, forcing students to protect their answer sheets from the raging storms using their umbrellas. On Thursday (2), Commissioner General of Examinations L.M.D. Dharmasena, while addressing the media to announce the end of the GCE O/L examinations, took the opportunity to express his gratitude to all citizens who cooperated in every way possible to hold the exams without hindrance. While thanking social media and media institutions for bringing to notice the shortcomings caused by extreme weather, Dharmasena stressed that disciplinary actions would be taken against the exam hall supervisors, invigilators, and the exam centre coordinators for not shifting the students into a weather-protected building. “We are facing unprecedented challenges as a country, and if people are trying to highlight the failures of the processes without finding solutions, that is a bigger problem. We had given instructions to all examination centres to take necessary precautions to ensure that students were able to sit for the exams without hindrance. However, neither the Gampaha school authorities nor the exam duty staff had taken necessary steps to prevent the children from getting soaked by the rain whilst answering their test papers,” Dharmasena revealed. In a timely fashion, artist Ruwanthie de Chickera created a spoken word presentation aptly titled ‘Sri Lankan Government FAILS O/Level Test’, where she posed the valid questions that the students who sat for their 2021 O/L exams in May 2022 would have had. As the presentation progressed, it made the downfall of Sri Lanka’s education system appear even starker. Below are excerpts of the video: “Our hearts are with these brave children, these children who have to get up every day and make their way to these exam halls sometimes without fuel, some of them without food, children who return to homes without electricity, return to their books with no sense of what their future might actually hold. “As parents, educators, and citizens of this country, let us come together on behalf of these silent innocents and demand that;

• in lieu of the unending turmoil and hardship they have had to endure;
• in lieu of the complete lack of support and stability that we have been able to give them;
• in lieu of the psychological harm brought about because those in charge have just not done their job;

“Let us demand that no child is left behind, and no child fails this O/L exam. Our children have suffered enough and struggled silently. As the adults in charge of this country have bartered away their futures, our children are heroes simply for having the courage to turn up at the exams. Not even one of them from amongst these 517,496 children should be taken out of school or be penalised any further.” Given the challenging circumstances that this batch of O/L students faced, with Covid-19 related school closures and then the ongoing economic crisis coupled with extreme weather conditions, concerned parents have been questioning whether the Department of Examinations would provide any form of recompense. Responding to a query made by The Sunday Morning, Commissioner General of Examinations L.M.D. Dharmasena stated: “Special consideration will be made when marking the test papers based on overall performances of students that took the test. We will also look at previous years’ results and performances of children who faced the exams during extreme weather events or even during the Covid-19 quarantine lockdowns.” Dharmasena further noted that apart from the viral incident from a popular school in Gampaha, students and officials who were deployed for exam duty had conducted and completed the process amid inundations and storms with the assistance of the military and the District Disaster Management Units.  Therefore, the Department of Examinations officials were positive that no one was inconvenienced to a point where students could not sit for the exams.