EDUCATION OF CHILDREN A MUST IN THE PERIPHERIES OF SRI LANKA

• We can see many children in the backwoods of Sri Lanka, languishing and slumbering in poverty without proper schools and colleges with qualified staff, the active participation of the parents, conducive geographical environment, and without the needed facilities to pursue their studies
• The Government of Sri Lanka should focus its attention on the poverty and destitution in families and find ways and means to create suitable jobs in Sri Lanka

A Social Reality

The Daily Mirror Editorial of March 18, 2023 said, “The Recent needs assessment by Save the Children show that 50 % of the families are struggling to support their children’s education and some children are already dropping out of schools. The Editorial also underlined that a recent survey of the Education Ministry had revealed 90 % of the students have not been able to acquire sufficient literacy or knowledge. 

What are the drop-outs and those not able to acquire sufficient literacy, knowledge and skills doing in Sri Lanka? One visible sign is the presence of a large number of trishaws driven by the young men in our towns and villages. Another sign is the life-struggle of a large number of parents who have become wayside vendors in sun and rain. Another social reality is the heart-rending sight of the beggars. We can also see many children in the backwoods of Sri Lanka, languishing and slumbering in poverty without proper schools and colleges with qualified staff, the active participation of the parents, conducive geographical environment, and without the needed facilities to pursue 
their studies.

Proper education and good upbringing of the children with good health care, depend also on the active caring presence and livelihood of the parents. Unfortunately many children are compelled to lead lives bereft of their mothers’ tender loving care since they (the mothers) have gone oversees seeking employment. The Government of Sri Lanka therefore should focus its attention also on the poverty and destitution in families and find ways and means to create suitable jobs in Sri Lanka.

This sad and pitiful situation must change yielding place also to the birthing of a desirable socio-economic environment for human progress in Sri Lanka since in my opinion there is already a correlation between the poverty and social isolation of our farmers, our fishermen, our plantation workers, our industrial workers, our casual labourers and their educational standards and no worthwhile progress will take place in their lives and that of their families until and unless education becomes the key that will unlock dignified human existence with social esteem for them in Sri Lanka.

In the past, our educational system had produced many professionals. In the future, education must produce not mere professionals who will be gainfully employed but virtuous professionals and trustworthy leaders with the needed skills and techniques and with proper decorum and demeanour, who will also transcend selfish aims in order to work for common good of all Sri Lankan families.
The illiterate, the unemployed and the under-employed - the disadvantaged parents – living without social esteem and social inclusion need financial assistance from well-to-do relatives and friends living in Sri Lanka and / or abroad, and also from the Sri Lankan Government and charitable organisations (religious and secular) to educate their children.

In the English medium 

Noting that it is utterly futile for one to explain the importance of English in this digital era, the Editorial of Daily Mirror of March 28, 2023 pointed out ten good reasons for English medium education, given by the British Study Centre, a leading international education group, which provided education and training to people around the world since 1930. The ten reasons given to pursue learning English are: 1. English is a global language, 2. English is the language of Science, Aviation, Computer, Diplomacy and Tourism. Knowing English increases your chances of getting a good job anywhere in the world, 3. English is the official language of 53 countries and is used as a lingua franca (a mutually known language) by people from all round the world, 4. Many scientific papers are written in English, 5. English is the language of media industry, 6. English is the language of the Internet with more than half the content on the internet written in English, while the world’s largest tech companies are based in English-speaking countries, 7. Travelling is lot easier with a good knowledge of English, 8. English is considered  to be one of the most important languages in the business world, 9. There are thousands of schools and universities around the world that offer programmes in English and 10. English will allow you to access multiple cultures through films, music and literature from hundreds of countries.

Education in the English medium is important and necessary for Sri Lankan children living also in the rural, coastal and estate environments so that they too may experience not only their inner human worth but also social esteem, social respectability and be gainfully employed in the future. If the children / students in the above-mentioned sectors (rural, coastal and estate) are also provided with English medium schools and colleges with trustworthy, competent and skillful Principals, Vice-Principals  and teachers who will maintain good demeanour in the students, they will also contribute one day to the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka with dignified and trustworthy leadership.

Individuals and groups truly interested in the socio-economic development of Sri Lanka need to mobilise their spiritual and religious resources to assist the children of poor parents, in order to obtain English medium education and to serve the people of Sri Lanka with respectability and integrity of life.
My affirmation that the above-mentioned social categories should be given English medium education is not a denial of the importance of the national languages (Sinhala and Tamil) which could also be integrated into the curriculum of the schools and the colleges which are devoted to English 
medium education.