Concern for education!

– Thinakkural Editorial

(September 12, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) The governments in recent times have caused confusion in the field of education. The present government only worsens it rather than curing it.

There is confusion at all levels of educations ranging from primary education to university education. The Ministry of Education is unable to even handle the simple issue of admission of students to grade one. The controversy that arose out of the admission of students to grade one had to be taken up at the Supreme Court for adjudication. Even after the Supreme Court decision, the matter has not been resolved. It is only a temporary arrangement.


The question of salary anomalies is a matter of dispute between teachers and the Ministry of Education. This matter could not be resolved. The Supreme Court made an order last week to pay one step salary increase and requested the Teachers’ Trade Union to give up the boycott of marking GCE A/L answer scripts.

The confusion in the Ministry of Education has a serious impact on the children’s education in the country. 57 percent of the student population fails to pass the GCE O/L exam. Only 41% of the students in grade six secures satisfactory results.

The teaching at the GCE A/L classes in schools is rather poor. These students depend on private tuition for their performance.

(An English translation of the Editorial in Thinakkural, a Tamil daily, based in Colombo)
- Sri Lanka Guardian