THE WEB OF LEARNING

The era of technology and online study experience

BY Goolbai Gunasekara

These last few months have been a totally new ‘teach and study’ experience forced on an unprepared body of teachers and students. First came the COVID-19 scare, which had the public scurrying to the safety of isolation.

Had this scare come in the days of my teaching career, it would have resulted in the lockdown of schools and a halt to teaching until the pandemic ended. Technology was not a part of our lives.

Fortunately, we now live in the computer age and children are quite savvy about the use of computers. Often, very young kiddies are able to help their parents understand the arcane (to them) workings of a computer as they have learnt its uses from birth.

So when COVID-19 hit Sri Lanka, many older teachers had to take crash courses in teaching classes by computer while most of their pupils (especially city children) were using computers as toys.

It has to be admitted that (although not an ideal situation) this knowledge certainly helped children in international schools to complete syllabuses in time to take their British-based exams. It also helped younger children keep up with their work without too much of a hassle. Even exercise classes were handled using computers.

Now, here is where the problem arises. Computers are expensive and most children cannot afford online education. Finding solutions to these problems is not easy and one must wonder what happened to the education process in schools where children had no access to online teaching.

We saw some pictures of children sitting on rooftops and sharing phones to catch the teaching of the few online classes the
government was able to provide. Everyone made some kind of effort but it did not produce the best result at all.

Now, we are faced with an even worse situation. The fuel shortage has made it impossible for children to even get to school. How are they coping? Is education being imparted – and if so how?

Let us consider what the children feel about it since online education may well be a tool of future education – partially, at least. Children miss the day-to-day contact with friends and classmates. They miss the competition of sports and personal contact with their teachers.

The present situation is not ideal and it seems as if education is again becoming a privilege of the affluent in private schools who can afford modern technological tools. Certainly, our bankrupt government can’t.

For a few years, home-schooling had been popular in some Western countries. I don’t know how this works but I would think that such schooling needs highly educated parents who are able to teach most subjects well.

Will such a process prepare children for university? And would such children develop adequate social skills? Will they become uncommunicative and introspective? Also, wouldn’t such schooling be limited in subject choices?

With the new Zoom classes, children are being tutored online and can get to feel part of a classroom – but that personal touch is missing. So perhaps education of the future may be a judicious mix of both online and classroom teaching.

I am concerned for the children of Sri Lanka. We are entering a new phase – but do we have the wisdom to employ the right people to guide us into the modern age? Do we have the money to implement modern and useful systems? Are we going to allow the same old chauvinists and former syllabus setters to continue to deprive Sri Lankan children of a world-class education?

We need to realise the value of being completely familiar with English, the accepted global language. Some degree of an English medium of instruction is needed at this time of new beginnings.

English is vital and Sri Lankans are a clever race. I can suggest straightaway that the person who should be consulted is Dr. Tara de Mel. Her expertise was used by former President Chandrika Kumaratunga with great effect until her government fell to the UNP. Its uncaring attitude caused her to resign.

We have always had a series of either stupid or unsuitable men nominated to the post of Minister of Education. More recently, Prof. G.L. Peiris was unsuitable. Akila Viraj Kariyawasam was dangerously stupid.

Look around the world. Indians are now occupying every conceivable top job in many countries. It was a sound knowledge of English that got them there and it is simp­ly vital for little Sri Lanka to keep up with the world.

We are now at the crossroads. Let us choose our syllabuses wisely. And let education unite our people rather than divide them as before.

The computer and nuclear ages have ushered in new educational tools and methods. May these be provided to our youngsters by good leaders showing wisdom and foresight. They must hand the children of Sri Lanka a great future, which the new genera­tion so richly deserves.