Features
Comment on Goolbai Gunasekera’s The ‘Principal’ Factor
by Nanda P Wanasundera
This 2021 collection of Goolbai Gunasekera’s articles published over three years in the Lanka Monthly Digest (LMD) is the second such collection, the first being, The Principal of It (2016). Sponsored by Anura Hemachandra, MD, Vogue Jewellers, and published by Sarasavi, it includes 55 articles within its 205 pages. It is no exaggeration to pronounce each a gem and though short, full of sense, sensibility, sharp observation, opinion and yes, directions on how the problems in the vast arena of education should be addressed.
Content
The wide spectrum of currently relevant issues Gool deals with range from school education with reference to international schools mostly; universities and graduates; parents and school authorities; student abilities; popularity, prefects, ragging; suicide; social media; and many more. Included is an article on politicians. The comments I could make would run through a dozen pages, hence brevity will be kept in mind, rather difficult since each article deserves commendation and calls for exposition.
Gool, very adroitly introduces her subject, states her observations and usually backs them with anecdotes – actual incidents and her experiences. She may refer to incidents/conditions in other countries relevant to the theme/topic dealt with. Then subtly with absolutely no show of pedagogy or wisdom from on high, she points the way to dealing with such problems/ behaviour/ situations,
I will deal briefly with two of her articles. Cruelty. Gool starts thus: “Sri Lankans are not known to be a cruel race, yet instances of outright wickedness are now rearing their ugly heads.” She then cites instances of cruelty to servants; mistreatment of students by principals and teachers, sexual abuse; and says: “Parents are singularly powerless much of the time”. She suggests very practical solutions or how to deal with the various vicious occurrences of cruelty.
Critique
The back cover blurb in the book states: “Dr Goolbai Gunasekera is one of Sri Lanka’s best known and most respected educationists.” Thus Gool is an authority on education, pedagogy, duties and responsibilities of principals and teachers, children’s problems and difficulties they face and how best to help them. She also knows parents and their diversity in attitudes to school authorities and their children’s upbringing. Thus, though lightly written, each of her articles carries a weight of information, fair opinion, real incidents and occurrences, which not only emphasize what she has to say about the topic in hand, but also invests actuality and interest in it. She does not sermonize but you can take it for a certainty that she advises/suggests correctly that which is feasible.
A strong sense of humaneness is evident in her articles. She is extremely sympathetic to kids who have been driven to suicide; understands sympathetically the underlying psychological reasons for bullying. However she does not give even an iota of sympathy to cruel teachers, narrow minded principals and education authorities who slant politically. She also comes down hard on striking undergraduates and unemployed graduates who seem unmindful and ungrateful for the benefit of free education they received.
The best feature of Gool’s essays is that you feel she is speaking to you. Gool writes so sincerely that she herself comes through the articles to the reader – her strong personality, and more her kindliness. She was an excellent teacher and Principal, broad minded and always ‘educating’ herself – learning from foreign trends in pedagogy, and from her experiences.
She has a light touch to her writing, though the themes be heavy and even controversial. Sparks of humour enliven her writing. Gool is totally readable; her style clear and not cluttered with jargon or ‘big words’. A friendly feeling seeps to the reader. Her essays flow smoothly but are carefully ordered.
Though a collection of essays, ‘The Principal Factor’ makes for absorbed reading.
The author
Goolbai Gunasekera made education her career and that has benefited Sri Lanka and thousands of young persons in this country. The career path she chose was inevitable, being the daughter of that exemplary, distinguished educationist – Deshabandu Clara Motwani. Gool’s efficiency; people friendly personality; natural ability to take the lead and be welcome by others; her innovative ideas of guiding children while effortlessly winning their complete loyalty and admiration, and insisting on correct discipline were used to benefit the country. After a spell of teaching which she loves, she stepped into the niche that made best use of her administrative ability. She became founder-Principal of Asian International School and spent 25 years making it one of the best known International Schools in the country. She retired a few years ago as a Director of the school but remains on its directorate.
This imposing, high principled, clever woman with a strong personality cannot be confined to one field. Proven! She has been a very successful and much read author. She moved from writing in newspapers to being a regular contributor to journals, the longest and most read being her monthly contributions on various aspects of education to the LMD journal. She is a clever writer with an easy style, with spice of humour added, but with much valuable content. She has published many books on teaching in English, history and biography.
Final remark
‘The Principal Factor’ like its predecessor ‘It’s the Principal of it’ is an absolute must read by all teachers, principals, parents, those officials connected/working in the education field and even senior students. It would be most beneficial for politicians too in the education field. That is the very wide readership the book deserves. Much benefit, not only to students and teachers but to all Sri Lankan society, is encapsulated in the essays. Her style of writing is the icing that makes for pleasant, very interested reading.
Nanda P Wanasundera