Reestablishing trust in education system critical: PM
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya says that education is a crucial area to which the new government will give the “highest priority” and that they firmly believe re-establishing trust in the country’s education system is critical.
Addressing a workshop held for school principals at the Ananda College in Colombo, she pointed out several issues in the current education system. One of the main problems is that the trust in the education system has “broken.”
“As in many other areas of our society, people no longer trust that this system will work for them.”
Dr. Amarasuriya, also the Education Minister, said children no longer believe in the importance of education, nor do they feel as committed to the education system as perhaps a generation ago.
“We need to change this. We need to establish trust in the system again. We need to make sure that children feel excited about their education. That parents can hand over their children to the education system and have the faith that the education system will deliver.”
“So, for all these reasons, we believe establishing that trust in the education system is critical. We also know that there are huge disparities and inequalities in the education system,” she added.
Addressing the school principals present, she said they belong to a particularly privileged section within the country’s school system – the elite schools.
“But in our thinking, there shouldn’t be a division within the school system where some children go to good schools or popular schools as they are generally known, and then there can’t be another category that is known as ‘unpopular schools,’ the PM said”
“That’s not an acceptable situation. So, we intend to ensure that all schools deliver the best for all children. And we hope that all of you will be able to be a part of this journey and work with us to make sure that the education system in Sri Lanka recovers its lost glory.”
She said: “Our education system was regarded as an example by the rest of the world. We have delivered on our education system previously, but sadly, in the last several decades, we have not fulfilled that promise of our education system. We need to recover it and improve on what we have.”
“We recognize that you or anyone else has not created this problem. The responsibility lies firmly with successive political leaderships. But in the coming years, we hope to continue discussing with you the policy directions and reforms we have planned for education. I invite you all to work with us to bring our country and education system to the place it deserves.”