These were some of the thoughts and suggestions that emerged at an interesting discourse titled “Trends in Education: Are they geared to a technology-driven marketplace” organised by the Sunday Times Business Club  (STBC) last week and held at the Kingsbury hotel, Colombo. Three panellists: Dr. Jayantha Balasooriya of the Ministry of Education, Dr. Jithangi Wanigasinghe, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist and Murtaza Esufally, Director – Hemas Group, dealt with education reforms, pressure on children and the need for an educated workforce for a futuristic economy, respectively.

Dr. Wanigasinghe, representing the Colllege of Paediatricians which has been concerned about the pressures of education on children, said reading, writing and mathematics play an important role for students to develop skills but many grade 5 level students lack this basic knowledge.

She said it was important to inculcate in students  knowledge of lifelong learning. “Although we don’t talk about dropouts from school it is important to know that there are around 10-30 per cent of dropouts from schools which is an alarming trend. Do we have a good education system in the country? It is preposterous to think that our education is good when there are 90,000 dropouts from schools from a total number of 300,000 students,” she added.

Stress caused to students was very high due to the present education system that does not provide students the necessary skills to develop natural and innovative thinking skills. “We want our kids to enjoy education and to develop innovative thinking and analytical skills. We are blocking their thinking by

compartmentalising and narrowing down their thinking pattern. We have to get kids away from the system of memorising subjects. We as parents and together with Education Ministry have to change the structure of the education system in the country. The education system in the country is much convoluted. How do we expect Grade 6 students to understand inter-personnel relationships when they are market oriented concepts.”

Stop memorising strategies

“School children have to be taught to think beyond the horizon of what will happen in another 10 years time instead of teachers instructing  them to memorise lessons. What we perceive as good education in the country has to change to develop innovative skills of students. Do educationists realise the power of play and do they provide time for children to indulge in it? Instead children are loaded with tedious homework,” she added. “The 9-hour school period is detested by school children as they have no time even to rest. When we were young we had a wonderful time in school but our children are inundated with school work. We have to cut down the school curriculum instead of skirting around it,” Dr. Wanasinghe said stressing on the need to allocate more time for rest when designing new syllabuses for school children. “We all know and our politicians also know the need for reforming the education system. But can we ensure that such a system will be built in the future.”

Dr. Balasooriya said the proposed education reforms  in the country are  being discussed and has not being finalised as yet. He said although education helps to develop the country economically it should also be aimed at developing human rights and providing quality development to the nation.

“There are about 4 million students in Sri Lankan schools at National and Provincial level. There is also Pirivena education that has existed for a long time apart from other private schools including 300 other international schools and educational institutions.”

He said according to 2016 data there are 10,000 schools in the country and enrollment at Grade 1 schools in the state and the private sector is about  98 per cent. “Everyone is concerned about educating their children despite their social background and their income level. The survival rate at the Grade 9 level is also around 92 per cent of those who complete education and the dropout rate is not taken into consideration. Although Sri Lanka has been hailed internationally for its education programmes state spending on education has been low.”

Referring to those who pass the A level examination, he said around 25,000 students get an opportunity to enter universities each year. “There are huge gaps in the system when it comes to admission of students to Grade 1 and those who enter universities that should be looked into. Many parents despite economic difficulties send their children abroad for further education.”

Equality for all students

He said the government is now considering educational reforms where every student whether in Moneragala, Polonnaruwa or Colombo has to be treated equally.

“There is a mismatch between skills development and the labour market in the country. We also need more technically qualified persons.”

He said the government plans to introduce Education Inspectors to gauge the standard of education at schools with the aim of further improvements. A 13-year mandatory education programme for all school children in the country will be introduced. The Board of Management of every school will be vested with powers to administer them well. Teacher education and improving the knowledge of the English language will be further developed, he said.

Mr. Esufally said that his company spends a lot in teaching the English language to its employees. “The biggest constraint today for most schools is finding suitably   qualified teachers,” he said adding that because of this education structure employees lack the knowledge of challenging the mindset of the management. They also lack innovative skills.

Referring to a university in Singapore, he said the teacher was only a facilitator where students at a classroom were encouraged to debate with each other to disseminate knowledge.

He said the other factor that affects productivity was the ill health of employees. Most of their employees have stress related symptoms of sicknesses due to of lack of exercise. “They do not know how to cope with stress-related illnesses. Only 10-15 per cent of employees indulge in physical activity and our company therefore has embarked on a physical training programme for employees to acquire fitness to face challenges at the workplace. You cannot do anything unless you are physical fit. Human energy is the most-scarce and critical resource we have.”

He said when seeking workers, the company looks  for those with innovation, accountability and entrepreneur skills. He said the education foundation in the country was weak and private companies cannot afford to chip into corret the system.

Education Secretary Sunil Hettiarachchi, who is a former member of the STBC, was also present and responded to many of the questions raised by the audience, at one point saying that the public and the corporate sector would be consulted in the new education reforms process.

Key highlights of the presentation made by Dr. Jithangi Wanigasinghe, Consultant Paediatric Neurologist:With all the teaching are we getting there?  Number of students not qualifying for A/L after GCE/ OL in 2014 = 79,710/ 257322 (30%)   Number of students who failed all 3 subjects at A/L 2014 = 80333/ 207304 (38%)   School dropout increased from 2.75% to 9.37% (grade 6 to 10)   90 % of university entrants not employable  There is a need for -. Attitudinal change   Getting away from a system of memorising, demoralises questioning   Inbuilt a system that promote questioning, thinking  Play:  Is play ever been considered a priority??  Reading:  Where is developing reading skills in the priority order?  Rest and sleep:  Importance of sleep – is it ever considered?  Physical burden:  Have you ever worried about the weight of the school bag?   Weight of the books:   Ergonomically unsafe weight of school bag carriage – 54%   Increased association between shoulder pain and lower back pain  Simplify text books: Critical evaluation of the education system is an investment:  Increase quality and not quantity

Key highlights of the presentation made by Dr. Jayantha Balasooriya of the Ministry of Education:Sri Lanka: Trends in education as at June 1, 2016 National schools                                353 Provincial schools                          9,809 Total                                          10,162 No of students: National schools                         798,800 Provincial schools                   3,344,307 Total                                     4,143,107 No of teachers: National schools                           37,308 Provincial schools                      198,691 Total                                        235,999 School density (area covered by a school) is 6.5 sq km in 2015. There are 300 international schools, 104 private schools and 749 pirivenas and 10,162 government schools. Education at a glance:  Net enrolment rate at Grade 1  in public and private schools =… 98.6 %  Estimated enrolment at Grade 1  in international schools =……………. 1 %  Completion rate of primary stage  (end of Grade 5) =…………………. 99.7 %  Survival rate at Grade 9  (basic compulsory education) =….. 92 %  Survival rate at Grade 11 =…………. 86 %    Dropouts in between  grade 1 through 11= …. 50,000- 60,000 Education expenditure as a percentage of GDP (years of 2004-2015): It was 2.03 per cent in 2004, rising to 2.67 per cent in 2006 (in spite of the war) and then falling to 1.63 per cent in 2010. Thereafter it picked up to 1.82 per cent in 2013 and was 2.01 per cent in 2015. Proposed education reform proposals: aims and objectives:  Ensure full-participation in school  education.  Facilitate to produce citizen with understanding of  ethics and country values and customs with Sri Lankan identities.    Provide opportunities to improve born talents and creativity rather   than book knowledge.  Provide balanced-education: physically > mentally > socially >personality.    Improve social-emotional skills of  students.  Establish sound linkages between school education > TVET and the world of work > higher education.    Facilitate to produce skilled and educated human capital for knowledge-based economy and knowledge-based society.    Increase school community’s participation in school decision-making.    Provide public-private partnerships for education especially for technology-driven programmes.    Contribute to maintain balanced regional development.   Proposed reforms – 13 years of mandatory education:  Full-participation    Curriculum diversification    Link to world of work.   School boards: Delegation of decision-making powers and authorities to implementation level (i.e. management, administration, resources, financial, quality development etc).    Strengthening service delivery.    Increase community participation for improving quality of education.   School inspectorates:  Ensure quality and standards of  education.  Total quality development.   E-library:  Facilitate to produce skilled and educated human capital for knowledge-based economies and knowledge-based societies.    Provide public-private partnerships (PPP) for education especially for technology-driven programmes.  Â

 

Key highlights of the presentation by Murtaza Esufally, Director – Hemas Group:

Global trends that impact on Sri Lanka:  Traditional jobs are disappearing; new jobs are being created    World is going through a 4th industrial revolution    Internet of Things – software – coding skills    Rapid automation, AI, robotics, big data & analytics    Opening of borders. Increased competition but also increased opportunities overseas    Shortages of specific skills – tourism, healthcare, ICT globally    High investment in private education in India, China, Indonesia    7 billion people with access to smartphones soon    Disruption in every industry – Airbnb, Uber, 3d printing, Expedia   Our position:  We are 73rd in global competitiveness    Skill constraint is the 3rd biggest constraint for growth in Sri Lanka    Public funding is inputs-based. It should be output-based like Singapore and Malaysia    Korea and Australia has an industry-driven system of skills    New growing industries – ICT, tourism, logistics, construction and other services like telecom and banking    150,000 enter labour force each year with only 50% passing OLs    Brain drain and brawn drain continues 1.3 million 3-wheeler drivers on the roads today. What is the value creation?   Business challenges and opportunities:  Companies going regional and need to focus on exports    Critical need to innovate to make better products for the world    Need to remain competitive    Growing industries such as ICT, Tourism, healthcare – lack of skills    Sri Lanka can no longer compete on cost. It has to be on skills.   What unique skills can we bring to the global table?  Value addition required for apparel, tea, rubber, jewellery    Is our university system creating talent that is employable globally as companies become global?    As leaders are we ready to recruit and train our students. Are they trainable?   Education for entry level:  We need more job based skills. 140,000 students complete general education each year without having acquired job related skills. 50% don’t pass OL’s.    Can TVET help? Central authorities retain tight control – no incentive for public training centres to respond to potential demand; heavily supply-driven.    Teachers have to become facilitators using online tools.    English is vital – 80% of employers expect a highly skilled worker to know English and 40% expect that from less skilled workers.    Can students access the limitless information at their disposal efficiently and  effectively? Can they evaluate it critically and identify objective facts from propaganda?    Can they create meaning from data? These are the cognitive skills required by the market. Statistics is going to be a key skill for big data analytics    Blended learning is the future classroom    Educated Sri Lankans have 28% unemployment; root cause of skill shortages may not lie with education and training but from wrong signals generated by market distortions.    Unwillingness to take up vacancies available, especially women where only 30% are employed   Education while in the workplace:  Corporate e-learning will grow    Employers owning their own development through online training like Coursera (a non-profit tech company that offers many open online courses)    Only 20% of Sri Lankans fluent in English and only 15% use computers    Organisations spend money on English education which should be done at school    Need to build capacity for energy management – this is a new vital technology if we are to have innovation and stamina   Most effective training in our companies are  Giving people tough challenges, projects and changed roles    Giving them mentors and  coaches    Doing customised in house training   Tourism: Need for 600,000 workers by 2021 only for Sri Lanka    Public sector training has been good for job-related theoretical knowledge rather than for soft skills eg: Tourism, ICT and construction sectors   ICT:  Shortage of 450 graduates per year    Loss of talent to overseas markets   Logistics:  There will be a big demand for logistics specialists in Sri Lanka    Need diplomas, degrees in this field    We have 45,000 ships sailing near us; over 2.2 million seafarers from across the world.    We can do crew changes, logistics, exchange of spare parts    3PL logistics – IT skills required   Healthcare:  Major shortage of nurses, paramedics, pharmacologists and doctors    We are working with NAITA to try and produce more nurses. Need to allow certification by the private sector    All the major hospitals have their own nursing schools    Staff prefer to own a three wheeler or do the job of a driver than going into 3-year education streams    24/7 challenge for women. Women today prefer a 8.30-5.00 job   Conclusion:  Our educational foundation is weak – there is a major need for change in the way we educate our children. Companies cannot do this.    Give all Sri Lankans connectivity, English and allow them to learn.    Teach parents and teachers how to harness educational tools online.    Employers have to up-skill, teach soft skills, technical skills and on-line courses available such as Coursera can be a great way to teach efficiently.    Use technology to match real time supply versus demand for skills in the market     New wants will be created and new jobs will be produced.    Having a citizenry who can adapt to change with a mindset, cognitive skills, language skills and connectivity will be critical.  Â

Onion issues in Sri Lanka

New details emerge on bond issue

HSBC: It’s still not over!

JKH: Susantha retiring in 2018, Ajit in 2017

BT-RCB Poll results on ‘bus drivers’ next week

‘Saving’ the nation

PM spells out Sri Lanka’s third generation of economic reforms

Agriculture production slides as crops affected by pesticides and weedicides ban

Finance Minister’s ‘Ease of Doing Business’ forum praised by exporters

Capital market strategy 2016‑2020 – small silver lining in the abyss of darkness

Dihan Dedigama: Life in the fast lane

Harsha Sritharan: Life in the fast lane

Claridge Stockbrokers’ licence extended pending inquiry

Seylan’s growth momentum continues

Yaddehige’s statement recorded by SEC over Kegalle Plantations issue

Union Bank profits surge

Opening the door just a little wider?

Sri Lanka can avoid the Middle Income Trap by encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship

SriLankan Airlines flies to new destinations in Asia-West Asia

Sri Lanka’s inflation remains in mid-single digit range, says CB

“Cloud of uncertainty in tourism industry over arrests”

Cheap tea imports for blending will ruin Ceylon Tea brand and endanger industry, warns top producer

Huawei’s ‘Customer Solution Innovation and Integration Experience Centre’

Sudden valuation change increases prices of 3 Japanese car brands

Green light for development agency amidst ‘red’ for AIT

Government faced with GK assets sale after settling depositors money

Wilhelm E. Brown, new President of the Travel Agents Association of Sri Lanka

OMAK Technologies gears up for aggressive ASEAN push