By Rehan Fernando –

Rehan Derrick Fernando

Introductory view

The pedagogy of the oppressor is a concept that has been brought to our attention by educational philosopher Paolo Freire. This philosophy highlights the idea that there is a layer of control in society that oppresses the poor and dictates the main concerns of society. It’s important to recognize this concept and its impact on the oppressed, as well as to explore potential remedies.

Educated dealers

In many countries, the ruling class is made up of well-educated individuals who use their knowledge to maintain power and control. This often results in policies that benefit the minority at the expense of the majority, creating a capitalist system that perpetuates inequality.

In the context of Sri Lanka, there are individuals referred to as “educated dealers” who have obtained their education from both local and international universities. They use their education to further their own power and prestige, often at the expense of the oppressed who work tirelessly to support them. These educated dealers hold meetings in luxury hotels, wield influence on social media, and have the support of the parliament, all while the oppressed work as slaves to sustain their comforts. So, we constantly see how educated dealers run a state. Such people use their knowledge not for the common good but for their own purposes.

Is education a deal?

This is not a question to be asked or to be answered but this is a question to be thrown into the comfort laps of educated business people. In Sri Lanka, education was sold out more than prostitution. Many teachers who conduct mega tuition classes are highly responsible for such a sub culture. Education was thrown into trash boxes overnight. We find difficult to recover and introduce meaningful and responsible solutions because of such a subculture. Today, everything in the education is a matter of tuition masters’ mafia businesses. They are running a business. That’s not education but it is a deal for them.

The ministry of education, principals, teachers, tutors are working for a long term deal in so far education is considered. As a result, students who study in remote areas are immensely suffering. It is a shame that we still talk of dushkara pasal (schools in remote areas) in our educational system.

What is the trend of the education in SL? That’s Ena widihata gaha uluwassa (managing things with low standard)

When there are worshiping people…

there is no end to the problem that I discuss here. Sri Lanka particularly produces slave-parrots. Textbooks and exams are the ultimate reality in that structure. Those term tests are for memorizing capabilities. Is this true education? The question is still on our tables. Nobody wants to open those dusty files and research for a new solution. The reason is that we are entirely isolated from other educational methods of the world.

Therefore, we are concerned of an efficient program in education. It must be a method of working through research models and be practical enough to apply for daily lives. For an instance, a student who is capable of mathematics should have an area to work his/her goals. He/she must be good at technology or carpentry, electricity, or any other field.

Our task and system must be producing people who think and become good philosophers in daily realities. It is a long process but it doesn’t need years of discussions. It only needs a solid infrastructure and continue to work with weaknesses and mistakes. Second step is that we learn from those mistakes through a self-evaluated method and never repeat those mistakes again.

Another focus is that all school teachers and principals must be given an ongoing educational programs. They are not properly updated. Either they are nominally doing their jobs or conducting tuition classes for their personal benefits. Such educational programs should determine to form thinking men and women but not worshiping idiots.

Oppressors’ pedagogy

Oppressors of any country have pedagogy. That is their conscience. Here are also different groups. Usually, the oppressors never oppress any system of society with their class men and women. Instead, they use their oppressors. For example, Mahinda Rajapaksa used ordinary youth to be part of his regime and the latter part of the civil war. Those youth, either died or now live with their loss of lives. The Rajapaksa family constantly followed this militarized mentality. It is therefore obvious that oppressors use the oppressed for their work of suppression.

The sad part of the story is that oppressors use education as a tool to create such oppressive systems. This is what we see in Sajaith Premadas’s political campaign. Also, many others make use of their centers to promote false ideologies through education. Sannasgala is a classic example for that. The point here is that all these people are oppressors in the present Sri Lankan society in which we have enough records for false generosity.

The pedagogy of the oppressed is so weak in front of the pedagogy of the oppressors. Yet, the oppressed can stand for their freedom through an ideological awakening. It must come through a solid educational program.

Concluding remarks

I have been constantly working and writing on this issue. Recently I suggested some ideological changes to NPP authorities. Unfortunately, Anura and NPP deal with a strong political governing method, which is an outdated version in this country. My immediate suggestion for them is political management. It is a strong policy. It is a policy that must be introduced to this country, in every nook and corner. We are tired of political governing because political idiots have destroyed this country over the years. Instead, we need a structured body that can introduce new methods of political management. We must discern whether we continue to politically govern idiots or make new accessible spaces to manage a good country.