Despite talks on reforming a number of loss-making sectors or State-owned enterprises, Sri Lanka is yet to pay serious attention to reforming a number of other sectors that have remained stagnant for decades, and are facing various issues due to the lack of reforms. One such sector is the education sector, which, despite minor reforms, is yet to be subjected to considerable reforms that could bring about tangible, national-level changes that are capable of shaping the country’s next generation.

The need for such reforms surfaces from time to time. This week, a video was circulated on social media of a school principal asking a group of students who had eaten their lunch in the classroom to use their tongues to clean the grains of rice that had fallen on the desk, raising questions about the ethical nature of disciplinary actions adopted by schools. In addition, during the past few months, several cases were reported of school administrators and teachers using unethical measures to discipline children, including a case where a teacher and a principal came under fire for allegedly using physical force to discipline a group of students and then handing over the students to the Police for legal action. 

The key message these reports highlight is the pressing need for reforms in the education sector targeting schools and their administrations. This is a concerning situation not just because of the adverse impacts such actions could have on children, but also because it is a clear sign that teaching and disciplinary measures adopted by school administrators and teachers are detrimental to children. Successive governments and the authorities under them have discussed education sector reforms for decades, even though only a meagre number of such reforms have materialised, while even those that materialised focused on merely reforming the school curricula and disciplining children. The said recent incidents are a reminder that school administrators and teachers need to also be in focus when implementing reforms.

Education sector reforms must not be limited to updating and revising school curricula. Teaching or disciplinary methods should be updated and streamlined in accordance with international standards to ensure that teachers are able to control their emotions in tense situations and act in a sensitive, responsible manner when teaching or disciplining children. Given the stressful environments in which some teachers work, the education authorities could pay more attention to educating teachers on stress management and basic counselling during the training of teachers, and to conduct assessments of the same after they are appointed. At the same time, as a long-term action, it is crucial to prioritise mental health, stress management, and effective, harmless disciplinary methods in education policies. In a context where Sri Lanka has already paid attention to putting an end to corporal punishment to children, such measures would support that endeavour too.

In addition to awareness, a major attitudinal change is also necessary, especially because most teachers serving in schools are from a generation where corporal punishment and shaming children through such punishment were viewed as a must for discipline. Before allowing teachers to teach, they should be taught that children’s mental wellbeing and self-confidence affect all aspects of children’s education and also the future, and that teaching is a job that involves protecting and developing those aspects of a child.