By Rathindra Kuruwita

Educational authorities have not yet been able to overcome the disruptions created by COVID-19, says General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) Joseph Stalin. “This has caused great stress on children who have been deprived of a meaningful end of term holiday,” he told The Island.

“We just held the GCE A/L exam that should have been held in 2022. We are holding in 2024 the GCE O/L and A/L exams that should have been held this year. When will this end? Other countries have adjusted the curricula and exams.” Stalin added that the term end holiday this time was only two days long. Children need time to relax and unwind. According to the Appropriation Bill the government had allocated only 237 billion for education, Stalin said.

“During the past few weeks, teachers, principals and university students, including medical students, have been subjected to tear gas and water cannon. The government is trying to scare people from protest marches,” Stalin said, adding that the A/L classes were empty in most popular schools as students attended private tuition classes. “The government spends a lot of money on GCE A/L students. A lot of facilities have been provided. However, most students are now in private tuition classes. This is actually a threat to education, and the Minister should do something about it. Most parents can’t afford the cost of private tuition.”

Stalin said that most popular private tutors did not work in schools. They were multimillionaires with political connections. In recent years, private tuition teachers backed politicians at the highest levels and are exerting pressure on the government to change the curricula in ways that are detrimental to children.

“Look at our education system. We pile up more and more work for the children. They are always under stress. Even the most brilliant students are struggling to keep up with the workload. We are not teaching them any skills. We are not helping them develop their analytical skills. They have no time for sports or extracurricular activities. Many children are depressed. Parents are increasingly finding it hard to fund their children’s education.”

Stalin added that successive governments had spent billions of rupees on education reforms. “The most recent education reforms on Minister Susil Premajayantha’s watch have cost the public Rs. 5 billion.”The government must talk to all stakeholders and introduce an education system that benefited everyone, Stalin said.