We live in the era of the fourth industrial revolution driven by artificial intelligence reshaping societies and economies. Global affairs have also become complex due to the trends towards a multipolar world order. Given the plight of the current Sri Lankan economy, macroeconomic reform and economic diversification has become a prudent topic of discussion.
Education will play the central role in re-shaping the citizen to have transferable skills, to be resilient locally and competitive in the global labour market. Ways and means to enable equity to education and become relevant in the future workforce is of much interest. To swiftly adapt, strategic foresight in policy, institutional accountability, and cooperation to address common challenges remain critical.
Established in 1944, the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS) is the premier organization of academics and science professionals, with a mandate to promote science among Sri Lankan citizens. The Science Education Committee (SEC) of the SLAAS continues to promote dialogue on contemporary issues in science education in Sri Lanka and offers advocacy to policy makers.
A detailed study was conducted in 2022 on issues related to the school science curriculum, culminating in a stakeholder meeting in December of that year. Resulting from that, this article consists of a compendium of perspectives on comparative education, priority areas of action and a framework of recommendations to address some of these persistent issues.
The SLAAS-SEC conducted an opinion poll among university students, scientists, and science teachers and found that more than 90% of those surveyed supported a transformation to a pragmatic science curriculum. They feel project-based learning and practical work will significantly improve process-driven skills of the student.
A majority are of the view that competitive examinations test only a limited array of skills and often overlook essential skills for 21st century labour markets. They strongly believe the school system should be empowered to provide adequate physical and human resources to promote science and technology from a younger age. The SEC also carried out a survey on comparative education (consisting of the U.S.A., Japan, and countries in the EU) and found some general trends. Based on these studies, the SEC was able to identify some of the problems facing science education, and indeed education in general, in Sri Lankan schools. These may be summarized as follows:
Students have limited opportunities to experience the practical aspects of science. For students in most schools, field work and laboratory work are very limited even at the upper secondary level (grades 10-13). Science classes focus on memorizing lots of facts without developing problem-solving skills.
The GCE Advanced Level examination is very narrow in its scope and does not adequately prepare students to enroll in many university programmes, let alone face the demands of the modern workplace.
Because of the long duration of school education, delays in taking the GCE (A/L) exam, and further delays in admission to public universities, students are unable to enroll in such universities until the age of 20-21 at the earliest, and are often older. This compares unfavourably with the global scene, where students typically enter a university at the age of 18.
Private institutions have begun to adapt to the last of these issues by offering A/L equivalent bridging or “foundation” courses and early admission to degree programmes (often franchised foreign ones), essentially by-passing the A/L exam and making it irrelevant.
The systems of education that prevail in major countries in continental Europe were examined, as well as in the USA and Japan. The duration of primary and secondary education in most of these countries is 12 years, though a few German states have 13 years. Students enter the university at the age of 18 – 19. There was general agreement among the Sri Lankan stakeholders polled (most of them education professionals) that 12 years of school education was adequate, and would enable students to enter the universities at least one year earlier, as was the case several decades ago.
Further reduction in the time taken to enter universities would have to be achieved by solving the logistical problems associated with delivering and marking the exam, selecting students for university entry, and adjusting calendars to make up for time lost over the years.
The economic benefits of shortening the duration of school education and enabling students to enter the university at the age of 18 – 19 are obvious. On the one hand, the cost of education would be reduced; on the other, university graduates would be able to enter the labour market at least two years earlier than they do at present.
Another feature of secondary education in countries such as France, Germany, Switzerland, etc., is the separation of students into academic and vocational streams. This approach is less popular in Asian countries such as Japan, and has never caught on in Sri Lanka, perhaps for cultural reasons. In the academic stream, breadth is emphasized in the last three years or so of secondary education, with at least 5 subjects being offered in the university qualification examination. This is in contrast to the British A/L system, a version of which we follow in Sri Lanka.
All students are required to take mathematics and at least two languages. In addition, science students will take at least one subject in the social sciences or humanities. Sports and aesthetics are strongly encouraged. In today’s fast-changing world, early or premature specialization as in the A/L system, is no longer appropriate. It may be time to modify our system of A/L education using ideas borrowed from European countries.
The Ministry of Education has announced a much anticipated educational policy framework and curriculum transformation in 2024. The unwanted delays in students entering universities has been recognized, and some issues in Science Education needing urgent attention are also addressed. The school-based assessment of project-based learning is anticipated to provide wider opportunities for the learner to inculcate inquiry and inquisitiveness.
However, proper benchmarks for assessments on par with international norms will be crucial for achieving meaningful learning outcomes. Here the continuous professional development of the teacher will be essential. Lack of opportunities for the students to experience innovation and entrepreneurship will also need special attention.
Integrated learning approaches such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics (STEAM) education, with learning contexts created with regional interests, will be essential for success. Integrating contexts from emerging global challenges such as climate change and adaptation of vulnerable societies is another area to pursue. Professional bodies such as SLAAS, which represents the communities of science and technology, can play an active role in promoting innovation and entrepreneurship besides popularization of science.
Overall, the education policy towards Science &Technology should promote pragmatic school curricula focusing on the quality of content over quantity. The SLAAS strongly recommends that the following initiatives be given due consideration and implemented wherever possible.
= Science education in lower secondary school (grades 6-9) should be strengthened, while emphasizing problem solving and practical aspects.
= Laboratory and practical classes should be introduced in science education, making use of local resources where p0ossible.
= Premature specialization should be avoided by broadening the A/L requirements to include 5 – 6 subjects instead of the current three. This can be achieved by rationalizing the curricula, and offering each subject at two different levels of depth, basic and advanced. Of course, this must be done across the board. The basic version of the syllabus would make more disciplines accessible to a wider range of students, e.g., mathematics for social science / biological science students, or arts subjects for science students, while the advanced version would prepare students to follow certain programmes at the university level.
= Improving student competency in mathematics and providing all upper secondary school subject streams the access to some level of mathematics will be essential in an technocratic and information driven society.
= To develop an ethical and sensitive citizen, access to subjects in social sciences and humanities for science, technology and engineering students at the upper secondary and university level will be highly desirable.
= The initiatives taken to address shortages of teachers in Science and Mathematics are critical.
= Providing English as a working language will be essential for accessing learning content in mathematics and science. But knowledge of English is important for all university graduates, to ensure that their education meets international standards.
= Reducing the waiting time to enter state universities after sitting the GCE A/L examination needs to be critically reviewed. The SLAAS strongly endorses proposals to reduce the number of years of school to 12 from the current 13.
In conclusion, with the current intent to transform the science curriculum, Sri Lanka appears to be a step in the right direction. However, the recognition and support for change should be embedded in society.
Inertia and resistance to change are serious barriers. Once the nature of student assessment goes beyond the traditional paper based final exams, teacher empowerment to learner centric education will remain the single most crucial factor for success.
The professional bodies in science and technology such as SLAAS can play an active role in promoting project-based learning in schools. Rote memorization of a narrow range of disciplines will not prepare students well for a future, in which knowledge is growing exponentially and technology is changing rapidly and in unforeseen directions.
