Features
On education and schools
by Usvatte-aratchi
Two thoughtful short essays on schools and education appeared in The Island newspaper on January 20th and 21st. The first was written by Lokubandara Tillakaratne, and the second by Mahendran Thiruvarangan of the Department of Linguistics and English at the University of Jaffna. Both urged reforms in the systems in Sri Lanka. Thiruvarangan’s essay was more abstract and global in perspective. Tillekartane examined the structure of schools in Sri Lanka.
Thiruvarangan explicitly set out to examine the relationship between ‘school leavers and the job market’; he proceeded to observe this relationship from a global perspective; obiter dicta, he emphasized the value of ‘the humanities and social sciences’ in university education to enable, among other things, students to resist the hegemonies of global capitalism’. Neither of them had any numbers in their essays. Neither referred to the systematic empirical information on these subjects, which is widely available.
I will first deal with Tiruvaragan’s essay. He started with observations about ‘… the global south and its working classes (who) are pushed to experiencing extreme forms of vulnerability’. That assertion is worth examining in light of developments in the last 30 years or so, especially in this part of the world. We have seen a spectacular rise in living conditions of more than a billion in one short generation in China and India.
A generation before that, a large swath of people in Japan, Korea, Taiwan (China), and Malaysia emerged from poverty and are now among the affluent. Consequently, that part of Asia now contains the second (Japan), third (China) and fourth (India) leading economies in the world and contain about 45% of the world’s population. Indonesia may be hard by their heels. In Africa, Ivory Coast, Ethiopia, Rwanda and some others have done well during the last 30 years or so.
Those goals were all achieved by joining ‘the globalized labour force for the (mostly) private sector’. The lives of those who rose from poverty have been made less vulnerable as one can see in the changes in the consumption goods baskets of these people. They all have begun to consume more protein. Sri Lanka was a striking exception that failed to participate in that spate of rapid economic growth during the last 50 years and more. Our entrepreneurs failed to join the world supply chains in the burgeoning production of and trade in electronic goods. An infatuation with the imagined greatness of our past consumed government policies, forgetting that we live in the present and will live in the future; it is sheer vanity to search for lost time.
Thiruvarangan supports the claim for teaching and research in the humanities and the social sciences. This is a part of a larger debate spread among academics and others in most parts of the world. The relationship between universities and the economy and society was rapidly transformed in the latter half of the 19th century. From an institution that the church dominated, universities became partners in innovations in the economy and in the formation of economic and social policies. Germany led the way. In the words of the official historian of Cambridge University, it changed ‘… from a provincial seminary (in 1870) to … (a university) teaching disciplines almost past counting and of high international fame in many of them.’ There were five clusters of great inventions in the second half of the 19th century that transformed people’s lives, wherever, forever.
The first was electricity and the electric motor; the second, the internal combustion engine; the third., petroleum and natural gas and the production of plastics; (In early 20th century, Sir Wiiliam Hardy, who made important contributions in both chemistry and physics, advised young Joseph Needham that the future lay in ‘atoms and molecules, atoms and molecules, my boy’.); the fourth, in entertainment and communications and the last in running water, indoor plumbing and urban sanitation structures. These inventions which contributed to the marked continued rise in living standards worldwide (A few years ago, Prime Minister Modi announced to the General Assembly of the United Nations that his government had built 112 million toilets in his country) did not come from universities but were the output inspired skilled craftsmen.
During the period 1850 to 1900, teaching and research in natural and social sciences became common, in Germany, the US and the UK. In Cambridge, the Natural Sciences Tripos was established in 1851 and the Mechanical Tripos in 1894. The Economics Tripos examination was first held in 1905 with 10 students. Meanwhile, universities came into people’s lives more forcefully. Across the Atlantic, the Merrill Acts of 1862 and 1864 had started Land Grant Colleges in individual states. John Bascom, President of Wisconsin University, pledged, in1887, that (the university) would contribute to the work of social advancement by encouraging a more organic connection between its activities and community needs.
In 1892 Richard T. Ely (who founded the American Economic Review) started the School of Economics, Political Science and History making the university more of a ‘service station’ for the society it served. Way off in the North Pacific, the Imperial University of Japan was opened in Tokyo in 1887. Over the years, it has been a major institution in Japan’s economic and social development. These links between the university and the economy and society grew far closer, a hundred years later when universities became incubation chambers for new industries and enterprises. Universities began teaching politics (not simply the Plato-Aristotle variety) and government and business administration. As I remarked in the J. E. Jayasuriya Lecture in 2004, Sarasvati had met Lakshmi in universities. (This year, Professor Panduka Karunanayake of the Faculty of Medicine, Colombo will deliver the lecture on February 14 at the SLFI auditorium.)
That long harangue was to bring home the point that universities, industry, and society have drawn closely together because mathematics, natural sciences, economics, and social studies in universities have become integral to the working and development of modern societies. That connection is weak in those societies where the structure of the economy still does not need the services usually provided by universities to industry and services in rich countries. Once the need for school teachers is satisfied (as in Sri Lanka), the demand for university graduates in the humanities will fall and the demand for graduates in science and technology rise, when industries develop. Hence the voluble demand from School Development Officers to be appointed as teachers, in a situation where the student: teacher ratio is as low (good) as 18. Recently, the Arab countries (Arabia, Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain), flush with funds from the sale of plentiful petroleum at monopoly prices, opened some universities, all for science, technology and management. In general, universities have followed changes in economies and societies.
In as much as church and religion were integral parts of the lives of people in medieval societies, science and technology are integral parts of people’s lives in modern societies. One switches off a light and goes to bed at night and gets up to switch on a fan, to begin the day. The modern equivalents of liberal arts are mathematics and science. As economies and societies have changed, the demand for education in the traditional liberal arts has declined. One cannot live in the past.
Tillakaratne dealt with the structure of the school system in the country and found there ‘a neo-caste’ system. This is wholly misleading. I will not deal with ‘International Schools’ because they are neither international nor schools. They are business enterprises that sell educational services to local people with adequate purchasing power. Children of a few foreigners, temporarily resident in this country, also attend them. The students and teachers are overwhelmingly local, though they prepare students for examinations overseas. However, local schools in many countries prepare students for the International Baccalaureate (IB). In any case, I know little about them.
There are now 10,000 government schools in five categories depending upon the grades they teach and the subject areas they teach. The most numerous (7,200) are primary schools. 2,000 teach up to Grade 11 and the balance up to Grade 12 in the arts and/or science streams.
More than half of all schools enroll less than 200 pupils; 15% less than 50 and another 16% have less than 100. Of all schools, 400 are national schools, teaching 380,000 students. The student/teacher ratio is 15 students in Provincial Schools and 19 students in National Schools. The low student/teacher ratio in provincial schools is accounted for by the large number of small schools there. Nor is there a shortage of Graduate Trained teachers in them. There is a shortage of English, mathematics, science and technology teachers. There is a s shortage of competent English teachers overall. In an analysis of student’s performance in the GCE (O/L) examination, a few years ago, NIE showed that the proportion of students who received pass marks, and above, was 17 percent of all who sat for that paper. The real disadvantage that children in small schools suffer is that they have narrowly limited options. Small schools in their vicinity are necessary for small children to attend. It is economically infeasible to provide in small schools the multiplicity of options available in large schools. It is a hard nut to crack. Back in the 1940s, the solution was to open boarding schools in rural centres (e.g. Wanduramba, Matugama, Ibbagamuwa, Poramadulla). With the rapid growth in the school population that proved an unlikely solution. Poor transport facilities in rural areas make a feasible solution many years away.
With that rough sketch of the structure of schools, it is grossly misleading to label it as a ‘neo-caste’. A caste system, as we know, stratifies society. People belong in castes by ascription; they are born to it and there is no escape up; they can fall. When a Brahmin woman marries a Shudra man, their children are Shudra. That stratification lasts from generation to generation. In contrast, our school system consists of five steps, success at which paves for entry into the next higher. Does the term neo-caste take away the essential feature of a caste system? Tillakaratne’s contention that among schools there are differences of endowments is perfectly valid. Royal College, Colombo, is endowed differently from Royal College, Polonnaruva, or the Central School in Narammala. This is true of schools in all societies: in China, governed by the Communist Party, and in the US, governed by competing parties. In China, children of workers who migrate to cities must go to rural schools where their hukou is valid. More prosperous city dwellers are entitled to attend city schools superior to rural ones. This is true in the US, as well. Children of more educated and more wealthy parents live in culturally richer homes and, and no matter what school they attend, they outperform those from culturally poorer homes. Black children, who are the most culturally deprived population, perform worse than any other ethnic group in the US. Among us, so do families in plantations. When the two disadvantages combine, as often, when children from poor homes who go to poorly endowed schools, they suffer a disabling double whammy.
One of the major contributions educational policies made to this society is the rapid advancement of women. There are more girls than boys in government schools. More women than men go to university. More men opt to study engineering and related disciplines. That is a common feature in most societies, except in Eastern Europe (e.g. Hungary). In the civil service, there are more women than men. Women have occupied the highest seats of power in the country. This year, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and the Prime Minister are women- the head of the judiciary and the leader of the governing party in Parliament and of the Cabinet (primus inter pares); and those positions, they occupy, not as close relatives or acolytes of powerful men. The displacement from government in 2024 of a cautery of urban plutocrats some of whose principal sharpened talent was plundering the public purse (degree PPP) was the handiwork of a generation that had been educated in rural government schools. They are expected to change much in our society.
But for the education system chastised by Tillakaratne as a ‘neo-caste system’ millions of young men and women who during the last 75 years and more became university professors and vice-chancellors, civil servants, doctors, lawyers, school teachers and principals, businessmen and other professionals who otherwise would have been stuck in a genuine caste system. The education system is the alchemy that dissolved the rigidities of a caste system, that Tillakaratne mentioned. The education system is not responsible for the economic stagnation in this society which has limited opportunities for a burgeoning educated population.
Our school system has no features in common with a caste system. There are differences between the quality of schools in rich urban areas and poor rural areas. However, this is a feature in almost all societies. Those differences arise from large inequalities and inequities in the wide society which affect both the quality of schools and the culture in households. It is when access to education and wealth are closed to certain groups that an education system takes on the nature of a caste system. The school system in this country during the last 75 years has been a wide ladder on which, millions climbed onto a platform that remained too narrow to accommodate them. Those crowded out jumped onto platforms overseas.
Thousands of people have been gathering in southern Ethiopia for one of the country’s biggest cultural events.
The week-long Gada ceremony, which ended on Sunday, sees the official transfer of power from one customary ruler to his successor – something that happens every eight years.
The tradition of regularly appointing a new Abbaa Gadaa has been practised by the Borana community for centuries – and sees them gather at the rural site of Arda Jila Badhasa, near the Ethiopian town of Arero.
It is a time to celebrate their special form of democracy as well as their cultural heritage, with each age group taking the opportunity to wear their different traditional outfits.
These are paraded the day before the official handover during a procession when married women march with wooden batons, called “siinqee”.
[BBC]
The batons have symbolic values of protection for women, who use them during conflict.
If a siinqee stick is placed on the ground by a married woman between two quarrelling parties, it means the conflict must stop immediately out of respect.
During the procession, younger women lead at the front, distinguished from the married women by the different colour of their clothing.
[BBC]
In this pastoralist society women are excluded from holding the top power of Abbaa Gadaa, sitting on the council of elders or being initiated into the system as a child.
But their important role can be seen during the festival as they build all the accommodation for those staying for the week – and prepare all the food.
And the unique Gada system of governance, which was added to the UN’s cultural heritage list in 2016, allows for them to attend regular community meetings and to voice their opinions to the Abbaa Gadaa.
Gada membership is only open to boys whose fathers are already members – young initiates have their heads shaven at the crown to make their rank clear.
The smaller the circle, the older he is.
As the global cultural body UNESCO reports, oral historians teach young initiates about “history, laws, rituals, time reckoning, cosmology, myths, rules of conduct, and the function of the Gada system”.
Training for boys begins as young as eight years old. Later, they will be assessed for their potential as future leaders.
As they grow up, tests include walking long distances barefoot, slaughtering cattle efficiently and showing kindness to fellow initiates.
Headpieces made from cowrie shells are traditionally worn by young trainees. The only other people allowed to wear them are elderly women.
Both groups are revered by Borana community members.
Men aged between 28 and 32 are identified by the ostrich feathers they wear, which are known in the Afaan Oromo language as “baalli”.
Their attendance at the Gada ceremony is an opportunity to learn, prepare and bond as it is already known who the Abbaa Gadaa from this age group will be taking power in 2033.
The main event at the recent Gada ceremony was the handover of power, from the outgoing 48-year-old Abbaa Gadaa to his younger successor.
Well-wishers crossed the border from Kenya and others travelled from as far as Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, to witness the spectacle. The governor of Kenya’s Marsabit county was among the honoured guests.
Thirty-seven-year-old Guyo Boru Guyo, seen here holding a spear, was chosen to lead because he impressed the council of elders during his teenage years.
[BBC]
He becomes the 72nd Abbaa Gadaa and will now oversee the Borana community across borders – in southern Ethiopia and north-western Kenya.
As their top diplomat, he will also be responsible for solving feuds that rear their heads for pastoralists. These often involve cattle raiding and disputes over access to water in this drought-prone region.
During his eight years at the helm, his successor will finish his training to take on the job in continuation of this generations-old tradition.
[BBC]
To establish a high-quality educational institution, it is essential to create a sustainable and flexible foundation that meets contemporary educational needs while adapting to future demands. The following outline a robust model for a successful and reputable educational institution. (See Image 1 and Graphs 1 and 2)
Faculty Excellence and Research Integration: Recruit faculty members with advanced qualifications, industry experience, and a strong commitment to student development. Integrate research as a cornerstone of teaching to encourage innovation, critical inquiry, and evidence-based learning. Establish dedicated research groups and facilities, fostering a vibrant research culture, led by senior academics, and providing hands-on research experience for students.
Infrastructure and Learning Environment: Develop modern, accessible campuses that accommodate diverse learning needs and provide a conducive environment for academic and extracurricular activities. Invest in state-of-the-art facilities, including libraries, laboratories, collaborative workspaces, and recreational areas to support well-rounded student development. Utilize technology-enhanced classrooms and virtual learning platforms to create dynamic and interactive learning experiences.
Global Partnerships and Multicultural Environment: Promote partnerships with reputable international universities and organizations to provide global exposure and collaborative opportunities. Encourage student and faculty exchange programmes, joint research, and international internships, broadening perspectives and building cross-cultural competencies. Cultivate a multicultural campus environment that embraces diversity and prepares students to thrive in a globalized workforce.
Industry Engagement and Graduate Employability: Collaborate closely with industry partners to ensure that programmes meet professional standards and graduates possess relevant, in-demand skills. Embed practical experiences, such as internships and work placements, within the academic curriculum, to enhance employability. Establish a dedicated career services team to support job placement, career counselling, and networking opportunities, maintaining high graduate employment rates.
Student-Centric Support Systems and Life Skills: Offer comprehensive student support services, including academic advising, mental health resources, and career development programmes. Provide opportunities for students to develop essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, communication, and resilience. Promote a balanced academic and social life by fostering clubs, sports, and recreational activities that contribute to personal growth and community engagement.
Commitment to Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Integrate sustainability into campus operations and curricula, preparing students to lead in a sustainable future. Encourage social responsibility through community engagement, service-learning projects, and ethical research initiatives. Implement eco-friendly practices across campus, from energy-efficient buildings to waste reduction, promoting environmental awareness.
Governance, Independence, and Financial Sustainability: Establish transparent, ethical governance structures that promote accountability, inclusivity, and long-term planning. Strive for financial independence by building a sustainable revenue model that balances tuition, grants, partnerships, and philanthropic contributions. Prioritize flexibility in governance to adapt quickly to external changes while safeguarding institutional autonomy.
By emphasizing quality, inclusivity, innovation, and adaptability, an educational institution can cultivate a culture of academic excellence and social responsibility, producing well-rounded graduates who are equipped to succeed and contribute meaningfully to society. This framework provides a strategic approach to building an institution that thrives academically, socially, and economically.
Critique of the Traditional Sri Lankan University System
Outdated Curriculum and Lack of Industry Relevance: Many traditional universities in Sri Lanka operate with rigid curricula that are slow to adapt to rapidly changing industry needs, leaving graduates underprepared for the global workforce. Syllabi are often centered around theoretical knowledge with limited focus on practical, hands-on experience, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
Insufficient Research and Innovation Focus: The Sri Lankan university system places minimal emphasis on research, innovation, and practical application, which hinders the development of a strong research culture. Limited funding, resources, and incentives for faculty and students to pursue cutting-edge research reduce international visibility and publications, key factors in global rankings.
Lack of International Partnerships and Exposure: Traditional universities have minimal collaboration with foreign institutions, limiting opportunities for student exchange programmes, collaborative research, and global internships. This lack of exposure restricts students’ cultural awareness, adaptability, and networking skills, which are essential in today’s globalized economy.
Bureaucratic Governance and Inflexibility: Highly centralized and bureaucratic governance structures result in slow decision-making, stifling innovation and responsiveness to changing educational demands. Universities face significant limitations in introducing new programmes, hiring qualified faculty, and allocating resources, which affects their competitive edge and ability to adapt.
Underfunded Infrastructure and Resources: The lack of adequate funding for state-of-the-art infrastructure, technological resources, and modern learning spaces reduces the quality of education and student experience. Insufficient investment in libraries, laboratories, and virtual learning tools limits access to essential resources needed to build research capabilities and attract international students.
Limited Emphasis on Student-Centric Support Services: Support services such as career counselling, academic advising, and mental health resources are insufficiently developed in many institutions, impacting students’ overall well-being and employability. Universities often lack the means to prepare students for the workforce beyond academics, which results in graduates with high academic knowledge but limited job-ready skills.
Recommended Transformations for World-Class Standards
Curriculum Revamp with a Focus on Industry Relevance: Shift towards an interdisciplinary, outcome-based curriculum that aligns with industry requirements and promotes experiential learning. Establish partnerships with industries to incorporate internships, co-ops, and project-based learning, providing students with practical skills. Incorporate modules on critical thinking, problem-solving, and digital literacy, which are essential for employability and adaptability.
Enhancing Research Capacity and Innovation Ecosystem: Allocate dedicated funding for research and establish incentives for faculty and students to publish in high-impact journals. Develop specialized research centres and labs focusing on areas critical to national and global challenges, such as technology, sustainable development, and public health. Foster innovation hubs, incubators, and accelerators, within universities, to support entrepreneurship and collaboration with the private sector, driving societal impact and ranking potential.
International Partnerships and Global Exposure: Form alliances with reputable international universities to offer dual degrees, joint research programmes, and student and faculty exchange opportunities. Encourage academic collaborations that enable students to work on global projects, thereby enhancing cultural competence and preparing them for international careers. Create virtual exchange programmes and international seminars to engage students in global conversations without extensive travel requirements.
Autonomous and Responsive Governance: Decentralize governance to allow universities to make independent decisions on programmes, faculty hiring, and funding allocation, fostering flexibility and responsiveness. Implement performance-based accountability systems for university administrators, rewarding institutions that achieve excellence in teaching, research, and innovation. Empower universities to secure alternate funding sources through grants, industry partnerships, and philanthropic contributions, ensuring financial stability and academic independence.
Investment in Infrastructure and Digital Transformation: Prioritize investment in modern campus facilities, advanced laboratories, and digital learning environments to provide students with a high-quality academic experience. Expand access to online learning resources, digital libraries, and virtual classrooms, offering students a more adaptable, blended learning model. Create dedicated spaces for collaborative learning and interdisciplinary activities, fostering a culture of innovation and teamwork.
Robust Student-Centric Support Systems: Establish comprehensive support services, including career development, mental health resources, and academic advising, to help students navigate both academic and personal challenges. Introduce career-oriented training programmes focusing on employability skills, including communication, networking, and leadership, to prepare students for the workforce. Develop alumni networks and mentorship programmes, connecting students with successful graduates for career guidance and networking opportunities.
Emphasis on Sustainability and Social Responsibility: Embed sustainability principles in campus operations, curricula, and research activities to align with global priorities and contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Initiate community engagement programmes that encourage students to apply their knowledge in real-world settings, fostering social responsibility and regional development. Encourage environmental initiatives, like waste reduction, energy efficiency, and green campus policies, reflecting a commitment to global best practices.
By adopting these strategies, traditional Sri Lankan universities can transform into competitive, globally recognized institutions. This shift would enable them to improve international rankings, increase graduate employability, attract a diverse student body, and contribute meaningfully to both the local and global knowledge economies.
The traditional university system in Sri Lanka, while rich in history and academic legacy, faces significant challenges in meeting the demands of the modern, globally connected world. The system requires critical reforms to enhance its alignment with international standards, improve rankings, and produce graduates ready for today’s dynamic job market. This essay discusses the shortcomings of the existing system and provides actionable recommendations to enable Sri Lankan universities to transform into globally competitive, high-ranking institutions.
(The writer, a senior Chartered Accountant and professional banker, is Professor at SLIIT University, Malabe. He is also the author of the “Doing Social Research and Publishing Results”, a Springer publication (Singapore), and “Samaja Gaveshakaya (in Sinhala). The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the institution he works for. He can be contacted at saliya.a@slit.lk and www.researcher.com)
by Jehan Perera
It was three years ago that the Aragalaya people’s movement in Sri Lanka hit the international headlines. The world watched a celebration of democracy on the streets of Colombo as tens of thousands of people of all ages and communities gathered to demand a change of government. The Aragalaya showed that people have the power, and agency, to make governments at the time of elections and also break governments on the streets through non-violent mass protest. This is a very powerful message that other countries in the region, particularly Bangladesh and Pakistan in the South Asian region, have taken to heart from the example of Sri Lanka’s Aragalaya. It calls for adopting ‘systems thinking’ in which there is understanding of the interconnectedness of complex issues and working across different sectors and levels that address root causes rather than just the symptoms.
Democracy means that power is with the people and they do not surrender it to the government to become inert and let the government do as it wants, especially if it is harming the national interest. This also calls for collaboration across sectors, including political parties, businesses, NGOs and community groups, to create a collective effort towards change as it did during the Aragalaya. The government that the Aragalaya protest movement overthrew through street power was one that had been elected by a massive 2/3 majority that was unprecedented in the country under the proportional electoral system. It also had more than three years of its term remaining. But when it became clear that it was jeopardizing the national interest rather than furthering it, and inflicted calamitous economic collapse, the people’s power became unstoppable.
A similar situation arose in Bangladesh, a year ago, when the government of Sheikh Hasina decided to have a quota that favoured her ruling party’s supporters in the provision of scarce government jobs to the people. In the midst of economic hardship, this became a provocation to the people of Bangladesh. They saw the corruption and sense of entitlement in those who were ruling the country, just as the Sri Lankan people had seen in their own country two years earlier. This policy sparked massive student-led protests, with young people taking to the streets to demand equitable opportunities and an end to nepotistic practices. They followed the Sri Lankan example that they had seen on the television and social media to overthrow a government that had won the last election but was not delivering the results it had promised.
CONSTITUTIONAL PROCESS
Despite similarities, there are also major differences between Bangladesh and Sri Lankan uprisings. In Sri Lanka, the protest movement achieved its task with only a minimal loss of life. In Bangladesh, the people mobilized against the government which had become like a dictatorship and which used a high level of violence in trying to suppress the protests. In Sri Lanka, the transition process was the constitutionally mandated one and also took place non-violently. When President Gotabaya Rajapaksa resigned, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe succeeded him as the acting President, pending a vote in Parliament which he won. President Wickremesinghe selected his Cabinet of Ministers and governed until his presidential term ended. A new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake was elected at the presidential elections which were the most peaceful elections in the country’s history.
In Bangladesh, the fleeing abroad of Prime Minister Hasina was not followed by Parliament electing a new Prime Minister. Instead, the President of Bangladesh Mohammed Shahabuddin appointed an interim government, headed by NGO leader Muhammad Yunus. The question in Bangladesh is how long will this interim government continue to govern the country without elections. The mainstream political parties, including that of the deposed Prime Minister, are calling for early elections. However, the leaders of the protest movement that overthrew the government on the streets and who experienced a high level of violence do not wish elections to be held at this time. They call for a transitional justice process in which the truth of what happened is ascertained and those who used violence against the people are held accountable.
By way of contrast, in Sri Lanka, which went through a legal and constitutional process to achieve its change of government there is little or no demand for transitional justice processes against those who held office at the time of the Aragalaya protests. Even those against whom there are allegations of human rights violations and corruptions are permitted to freely contest the elections. But they were thoroughly defeated and the people elected a new NPP government with a 2/3 majority in Parliament, many of whom are new to politics and have no association with those who governed the country in the past. This is both a strength and a weakness. It is a strength in that the members of the new government are idealistic and sincere in their efforts to improve the life of the people. But their present non-consultative and self-reliant approach can lead to erroneous decisions, such as to centrally appoint a majority of council members, who are of Sinhalese ethnicity, to the Eastern University which has a majority of Tamil faculty and students.
UNRESOLVED PROBLEMS
The problem for the new government is that they inherited a country with massive unresolved problems, including the unresolved ethnic conflict which requires both sensitivity and consultations to resolve. The most pressing problem, by any measure, is the economic problem in which 25 percent of the population have fallen below the poverty line, which is double the percentage that existed three years ago. Despite the appearance of high-end consumer spending, the gap between the rich and poor has increased significantly. The day-to-day life of most people is how to survive economically. The former government put the main burden of repaying the foreign debts and balancing the budget on the poorer sections of the population while sparing those at the upper end, who are expected to be engines of the economy. The new government has to change this inequity but it has little leeway to do so, because the government’s treasury has been emptied by the misdeeds of the past.
Despite having a 2/3 majority in Parliament, the government is hamstrung by its lack of economic resources and the recalcitrance of the prevailing system that continues to be steeped in the ways of the past. President Dissanayake has been forthright about this when he addressed Parliament during the budget debate. He said, “the country has been transformed into a shadow criminal state. While we see a functioning police force, military, political authority and judiciary on the surface, beneath this structure exists an armed underworld with ties to law enforcement, security forces and legal professionals. This shadow state must be dismantled. There are two approaches to dealing with this issue: either aligning with the criminal underworld or decisively eliminating it. Unlike previous administrations, which coexisted with organized crime, the NPP-led government is determined to eradicate it entirely.”
Sri Lanka’s new government has committed to holding local government elections within two months unlike Bangladesh’s protest leaders, who demand that transitional justice and accountability for past crimes take precedence over elections. This decision aligns with constitutional mandates and upholds a Supreme Court ruling that the previous government had ignored. However, holding elections so soon after a major political shift poses risks. The new government has yet to deliver on key promises—bringing economic relief to struggling families and prosecuting those responsible for corruption. It needs to also address burning ethnic and religious grievances, such as the building of Buddhist religious sites where there are no members of that community living there. If voters lose patience, political instability could return. The people need to be farsighted when they make their decision to vote. As citizens they need to recognise that systemic change takes time.
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