A Boy From Colombo

’All For One and One for All’ was a famous phrase in the French novel ‘Three Musketeers’ written by Alexander Dumas. In that novel this phrase was used by the above mentioned musketeers to express their unity before they went into any adventure.

However where the Sri Lankan education is concerned the same phrase applies but in a different perspective, such that ALL this education is catered to ONE and ONE method for ALL. Hence only the fittest ONE survives.

It is equally pathetic to note that education providers in most of the ‘Developed’ Countries follow the same method. This method is similar to collecting all the people in the hospital having fever and giving ‘Paracetemol’ tablets to all of them, some will recover, some may prolong, others may even have harmful effects on their health. This method is also similar to a tailor stitching a trouser of the same size to all his customers thinking ONE size fits them ALL.

Tuition is another form of educating the School going children in the prevailing society, it provokes a reasonable thinking man to ask if schools were hiding the necessary knowledge and information from children, where they have to go to an extra place to learn the same thing, after all if Tuition Teachers take a fee for teaching, can our education be called ‘Free’. Nevertheless let the students and Tuition teachers settle this matter.

The most important aspect to understand here is the essence of education and the features of the diverse type of education and the respect given towards all these types, for instance education received in School, College, University, Home and Public/Private Libraries or from Teachers, Elders, Priests, Governesses and Graduates, Self Learning and Practicing using Textbooks or the World Wide Web (Internet) are some of the ways and means of getting the knowledge one acquires. Many of these individuals may not have Ordinary Level Certificates or Bachelor’s Degrees but may profess in the subject area in which they have learnt; hence performance is what is important.

The first question that we ought to ask from our education authorities is that do we have free education and if the answer is ‘Yes’ then the next question that needs to be asked is the aspect of its term ‘Free’ i.e. Is Sri Lankan education is ‘Free of Charge’ or ‘Free Accessibility’. For instance if a parent is unable to choose the school for the child then on what grounds can we argue that education in Sri Lanka has free accessibility and in turn argue that Sri Lanka has a free education system.

Last but not the least, you may find several people who have been to school, several who have passed the year 5 Scholarship, several who have passed their Ordinary Level, several who have passed their Advanced Level and several who have received their Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates, all these are just QUALIFICATIONS, but there can only be one individual who can’t be found elsewhere that is none other than YOU. None can buy, replace that individual with all the above mentioned qualifications but they could be nurtured with an inbuilt seed known as EDUCATION, so respect and value that Individuality and uniqueness in YOU. QUALIFICATIONS will be presented by individuals even WITHOUT you but EDUCATION could be germinated WITHIN you.

I hope this message would turn a new leaf to the attitude of education among the people in this country and the world as a whole.

Have a nice day!