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Good schooling, good citizens

30 May 2022

Last Friday (27), President Gotabaya Rajapaksa stated that the outcome of educational reforms should be to create “good citizens” who are productive to the economy. He made this statement during a discussion regarding matters pertaining to the education sector that need to be prioritised, where the newly drafted National Education Policy was also discussed. Education sector reforms have been the subject of a long-drawn discussion in Sri Lanka, and the recent decline in the education sector, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and then the economic downturn, has raised the importance of creating an education system that facilitates students’ well-being, because a considerable segment of the student population has been affected by the said challenges. However, what the lion’s share of these discourses, decisions, and plans aim to improve is the existing schooling and education systems, but they do not adequately include reforms aimed at students’ well-being, which is unfortunate. What is more concerning is the fact that without ensuring students’ well-being, there is no way for Sri Lanka – or any country for that matter – to create “good citizens”. When it comes to creating “good citizens” within and through the education system – which in this case we can perhaps interpret to mean citizens who showcase socially, ethically, and legally acceptable behaviour – Sri Lanka has a long way to go, because we try harder to instil rote knowledge and obedience in students instead of inculcating free thinking and good values. The country appears yet to understand that an educated citizen does not necessarily constitute a good citizen.  First and foremost, we must acknowledge the fact that the manner in which students are treated and guided in schools establishes the foundation of how we define what school is. In Sri Lanka, schools have set strict guidelines as to how students should dress, behave, and study, and failure to adhere to those sometimes attracts serious repercussions. The education system tells students – who are literally children at their growing, evolving, and learning age – that even the simplest of acts that help them develop individual identities should happen only within the regulations set by the schools. For example, the majority of public schools have strict guidelines as to how students should maintain their hair, even though there is no rational connection between the manner in which a student maintains their hair and their education or qualities as a person. In addition, it is a quite common practice in many schools to suspend students when two students are found to be in a romantic relationship, even though such behaviour is completely natural in teenage years and requires only a cordial discussion between concerned parties to ensure that such relationships do not affect the concerned children’s education.  Most of these strict guidelines are issued under the guise of rules in place to ensure discipline among children. However, what children of school age need is not discipline, but guidance and support to make correct life choices, which can be achieved through education, discourse, and examples. The strict manner in which students are treated by teachers, which rarely lets students have their say in matters that affect them, is also concerning. Corporal punishment and reprimanding – which often amount to physical harassment and verbal or mental harassment, respectively – are still common practices in many schools, especially in public schools. Such acts are in fact condoned by many teachers, as they seem to be under the misconception that inflicting pain on students is a good way to teach them what is acceptable and what is not, whereas all it does is create a citizen who fears punishment, not wrongdoing. The most tragic part of this issue is that these practices that oppress children are not new. Owing to the erroneous belief that punishment is the best way to discipline a student, such practices have continued for generations, despite various developments in the global education sector that have proven that punishment does not result in anything other than fear.  While it is an arduous task to change a system that has been in place for generations, and is likely to remain for at least several decades, the change the country needs can start from school authorities, even before any policy or legal reforms. All teachers have to do is to think of how their own minds worked when they were schoolchildren – and that is more than enough to spark at least a little change within schools. Dealing with certain natural inclinations and changes in children that school authorities may deem indisciplined or unacceptable behaviour, requires more discussion-based approaches and the use of less aggressive correcting methods. Sri Lanka often boasts about its so-called advanced education system, which is said to stem from Buddhism and the Sinhala culture. However, the uncomfortable truth is that the manner in which students are treated hardly reflects the values of either Buddhism or of the Sinhala culture, which traditionally uphold a culture of non-violence and free thinking. While the rest of the world keeps embracing newer, innovative, and student-friendly teaching methods, Sri Lanka seems to want to resort to oppressive disciplining methods of the past, causing students to remain stressed and scared in schools, which in turn affects their self-esteem. Such a system cannot create good citizens; it can only create obedient followers. Therefore, if Sri Lanka wants a new generation of good citizens to rebuild the country, treating children better is its only option.


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