Make GCE OL syllabus employment oriented

Broadly two systems of education prevail in Sri Lanka – one for the affluent and another for the poor. The former have access to good schools, good teachers, high class private tuition and to technology. They are equipped to go to Harvard and Oxbridge. The poor do not aim so high. What they want is a decent education up to O Levels (OL) so that they are employable.

What we therefore need is education relevant to employment. Jobs are what will make this youth good citizen and not necessarily book learning of history, geography, civics and religion.The condition of the poor has worsened in the last two years. So what we need to do is t make the GCE OL simpler. There should be fewer subjects for this examination. What schools must concentrate on are Sinhalese or Tamil, English, Arithmetic and Maths and IT.

If other subjects are taught, they should not be for the GCE OL examination. They can be taught after the OL. This kind of syllabus is suggested specially because poor children have suffered so much without any education for the last three years.

Leelananda de Silva
Colombo.