From: muttiah@thistle.ecn.purdue.edu (Ranjan S Muttiah)
Subject: Re: Education and Jobs in SL
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: Thu, 17 Dec 1992 15:52:22 GMT

pdy@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Yapa,,,) [pdy] writes:
[pdy] I would like to add some general comments to a very good discussion by several
[pdy]   people

[pdy]1. The education stanadrd of the students are affected by the peer pressure
[pdy]   and the surroundings.  Threfore, the students in Big cities like
[pdy]   Colombo and Jaffna have more chnace to succeed than those from rural areas.
[pdy]   The main point I'd like to make is that even if we raise the standards of
[pdy]   Rural schools you are still going to see a large majority of students
[pdy]   entering the Univ will be from Cities. Nevertheless I agree that  we should
[pdy]    RAISE the standard of Rural schools.

Under the existing system, I agree, most of the students who enter the
universities will be from the cities.   That isn't too surprising when
one considers that there's no decent avenue out for the city folk.  BUT,
there's a problem here.  When the opportunities in the rurals areas diminish,
more people move into the larger cities, the larger cities get more crowded,
and more people compete to enter universities, frustration of youth results
etc etc.  The bigger question is, what are the university graduates supposed
to do ? [I'll get to that part with the BMWs].  I think a far better system
would be to have universities for each district/region have university 
admissions on a more local basis.  For this adequate standards have to be 
maintained in each region.  Changing names of schools is just a cheap cop out.
I don't think this will happen anytime soon.  Why ?  The powers that be
in colombo will find that this runs against their feudal power structure.
##$$ them.  They are supposed to be working for the people.


[pdy]2. Students from rural areas have the same rights as the ones from cities.
[pdy]   What is this about them driving a BMW. Why not !. It is up to them.

Sure people are welcome to spend their money as they wish.  However, they
are spending money earned in "far away" places.  Here's my BMW point: if
the standardization scheme was brought into place so that more rural people
will earn a degree and then return home, then that policy has failed miserably!
Those people just don't return home.  They don't have a reason to return.
Instead, they go overseas to work.  This is not only bad in the longterm but also
an unreliable source of income for the country (in the short term).  Ex. look
at what happened in Kuwait after the Iraq invasion.  For an example at the 
detrimental effect at the professional level look at what happened when the Idi 
the Amin the mad man decided to send the Asian subcontinentals packing.  It is 
again, far better to have the rural communities of Sri Lanka that are 
self-sustaining.  For that there needs to be good people around.  And if the Sri 
Lankans are given the  power to do it, then will do it!
  
[pdy] I reiterated this because there is no truth to the accusation
[pdy](by some) that Tamils are the only affected people.
[pdy]There is no simple solution to the problem. If it is completely based on merit
[pdy]then Rural people would find it impossible to enter the Univ.

My point: which universities ?  The present university policies are abhorrent.
Getting students to go to different parts of the country (against their
free will) to enter universities is bad.  I agree with your statements regarding
practical exams.  But that's a just a local minimum/maximum of a global
minimum/maximum that needs to be found.
Newsgroups: soc.culture.sri-lanka