19 March, 2024

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Parents Need To Stand Up For A Value Based Education System

By Mithula Guganeshan

Mithula Guganeshan

Mithula Guganeshan

Education is simply considered as the science of living, opening the doors to a life full of opportunity and freedom. Education of the mind without the education of the heart is no education at all, is a famous quote by Aristotle. However, our educational institutions are designed to deliver just one side of the coin while completely ignoring the development of human values. Every single parent, rich or poor considers education as an important investment. Parent’s role in school education system is limited to choosing the school and spending money for education only. Nearly 40% of the children’s active hours in a day are spent at school and parent’s role should be extended beyond monitoring marks and homework. Parents and teachers are responsible for developing good humans in the society and their active role in the transformation of school governance is a basic necessity. However, parents are extremely silent and ignorant towards the school’s lack of interest in terms of developing the student’s mind and character. Lack of value education plays a significant role in terms of drug usage, alcoholism and unruly behavior dooming the life of the individuals and developing unnecessary problems.

It’s really crucial that parents get over the marks obtained by the child and look at the bigger picture. Do 100% marks for Mathematics, History, and Geography etc. justify what else they are missing on? Can every single parent confidently assure that all the schools are delivering the best for the students to succeed in life? An interesting scenario is when educated parents spend heaps of money on school education yet failing to question the lack of value based education. Unavailability of proper value system at their own homes as well would result in the development of a deformed character. High grades cannot make up for the lacks of a solid and sound character. Does our current education system teach fundamentals such as ways to live in harmony with the society and the environment?

Girandurukotte Central College FB - schools studentsThe current Government plans to strengthen the education pillar during its regime by realigning the education system. New changes have been proposed in terms of moving towards competency based curriculum, providing basic facilities such as sanitation, library, IT and Science Laboratories & also to address the teacher shortage. However, the quality of the education delivered by schools needs to be monitored and measured by the parents regularly. Educated and knowledgeable parent’s contribution could benefit not only their children but others as well. The existing School Development Society & associations in schools are merely focused on improving the infrastructure of the schools. Ideally, the efforts should be directed towards encouraging a collaborative effort to develop the mind and heart of the students.

Parents should take up an active role to monitor and regulate schools in order to deliver quality education and it’s the right of every parent. Parent’s role in terms of school education system isn’t limited to monitoring the child, but also to ensure that their children and others children gets the best out of schools. Parents need to stand up on behalf of their children for a value education system. Education policy needs to be redefined by incorporating parent’s influence to improve the standards of education delivered. Parents should join as members at school, district, provincial and a national level to improve the quality of education delivered. The regulatory board needs to regularly monitor the schools’ administration and the Government’s accountability to deliver basic necessities and justify the relevance and importance of the taught subjects to suit today’s modern world. This is the moral responsibility of every parent, to monitor and improve the relevance of the lessons being taught at schools.

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Latest comments

  • 4
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    ,

    Unfortunately, in atleast the north and east, the children have to be educated to educate their parents. Bad parenting is one of the major problems in the war-affected areas. If this problem is not recognized and remedial measures taken, the problems afflicting our society cannot be remedied. Where will we also find an army of ‘ Quality’ teachers to execute such an enormous social re-engineering project with commitment and dedication? Further, it has to be a long term project. I hope the Provincial Education Ministries are up to this enormous challenge.

    Thank you for raising an issue that is critically important.

    Dr.Rajasingham Narendran

    • 4
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      “Where will we also find an army of ‘ Quality’ teachers to execute such an enormous social re-engineering project with commitment and dedication?”

      Ms Mithula Guganeshan and Dr.Rajasingham Narendran,

      I may be mistaken, but I believe the internet can be used for this task. Unlike before many teachers “on the ground” isn’t a requirement. In Africa and some other places, few young “enlightened” people have started enterprises to do just that, with a small quality team of teachers/educators. In places like SL, one has to make sure that the enterprise is strictly limited to “conventional” education, and not hijacked for political/ideological/religious/what-have-you diversions.

      • 2
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        Upul,

        Thanks for this input. I agree with a big qualifying but.

        The qualifying but because,

        1. Internet penetration is grossly inadequate.
        2. Cost of Internet / WiFi cost is yet quite high for most.
        3. Lack of systems to enforce parental control over Internet misuse ( there is heavy misuse of the Internet by the young who can afford it).
        4. Inadequate content in the Sinhala and Tamil languages
        5. Poor knowledge of English and limitations of comprehension.
        6. Lack of interest and comprehension of objectives by most parents.

        However, these issues can be overcome if the government puts its muscle behind such a project in an enlightened manner.

        Dr.RN

  • 3
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    Ms Guganeshan has written well, and not a minute too soon on the malaise that has afflicted Sri Lankan parents of today. Alas, the die has been well and truly cast. Our country will end up with a generation full of zombies. No singing, no dancing, no painting, no writers, no poets, etc; just an army of anti social no hopers, with lots of A’s and no common sense. Most likely if you go to a state school with what passes for a ‘free’ state education.

    Ms Guganeshan, we have addressed this subject many a time, now it for you and your generation to play your part and ensure that there is more to life than just simply high grades.

    Simply, it is all about teachers teaching during class time, and freeing up time for those extra that will turn out well rounded young people. It is possible to get both high grades, and have the things that make for a better human being.

    Remember, Good Governance will most likely give you a Good Education System.

  • 2
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    So Mithula what you say is that our education system should be geared to produce the ideal of the Roman Poet-Juvenal: Mens Sano in corpore Sano–A sound Mind in a Sound Body.
    Tuition,Tuition,Tuition and more Tuition from Kindergarten to A/Ls is the order of the day now!

  • 3
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    What is Value- Based Education?
    Education opens up our mind, but Value-Based Education (VBE) gives us purity of heart too; education provides us with skills, but VBE provides us sincerity too; education extends our relationship with the world, but VBE links us with our own family members too. Education makes our living better, but VBE makes our life better too; education teaches us to compete with others, but VBE encourages us to be complete too; education makes us a good professional, but VBE makes us a whole human too; education takes us to the top, but VBE
    takes the whole society to the top. Education gives us capacity of better learning, but VBE gives us the tool for a deeper understanding too; education may bring limitations but VBE is for liberation. After all right education means- “Sa Vidya Ya Vimuktaye”. It means that knowledge is what helps us to attain liberation.

    (Not mine but worth sharing)

  • 3
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    There is value based education in many schools around the worls where children are turning out as good humanbeings.
    Carol Alderman(UK)along with late Mr Victor Kanu from Zambia pioneered SSEHV (Sathysai Education In Human Values)5 simple tools were used to promote Truth Right Conduct,Peace and Love which would culminate in Non Violence.
    These values were introduced in few mainstream schools in the UK during holiday camps and the change in the behaiour of the children were amazing. The world is starving for people with good charector. Maybe it is too late for majority of the older generation who are set in their ways. But the younger generation can lead the way. They need the support from the older generation as they cannot do it alone.

    Sai Baba says that
    Teachers have to BE, DO and finally TELL. This applies to parents too who are the early educators of the children. Children need good role models around them.
    I think it is time that we all ‘Become the change we want to see

    Well done Mithula

  • 0
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    This article must be urgently seen against Bett Asia Leadership Summit 2015(on transforming education) held in Singapore last month, https://asia.bettshow.com/

  • 2
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    What is being practiced in today’s education system is of generalized curriculum which is not dynamic and doesn’t cater for today’s trends and challenges. Once the children are out of school they are left in the lurch to be in the right path of the vocation of their choice. Whilst being in the school the children weren’t taught in the right direction so that they would be independent to choose their career path. Universities in Sri Lanka have developed e-Learning system for secondary students which would be a great boon. Internet in schools should be customized so that it would make the students more focused to find the content which could be very useful for them. Such internet contents could made available in Sinhalese and Tamil.

    Another vital factor is to guide the children to know how to learn and comprehend which would salvage many weak students out of darkness. Educationists should put in meaningful effort to devise new methods and techniques. Hope this would add salt to the fabulous topic of “PARENT-NEED-TO-STAND UP FOR A VALUE BASED EDUCATION SYSTEM” nicely written by Mithula Guganeshan.

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