Sri Lanka needs ethical and quality education: Eran
As the local education system has repeatedly come under criticism for not delivering to the current needs of the economy, State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne asserted the need for establishing ethical and quality education in the country.
“The truth needs to be spoken. We need a more equal society. Education itself and skills itself will not solve our problem.
“Ultimately, whatever the education we have, we need to have ethical education. We need to be able to distinguish between right and wrong. Because educated thieves are far more dangerous than uneducated ones,” said the minister while addressing a budget proposal forum yesterday. Adding that education is not about infrastructure but about people and attitudes, he pointed out that while the current requirement is ‘quality’ education across all levels, the education provider is secondary. As no government in the world can fully meet the demand for education, according to the minister, there is a pressing need for the education sector to open up. Furthermore, he opined that given the recent events in the sector, the country is held back due to professional barriers, and responsibility must be taken by the relevant segments for creating such.
“Those of us who have got free education must make sure the door is open to everyone else from wherever they come. The problem with professionals is that we often think of our profession rather than society at large, therefore lots of professional barriers are thrown in the way of creating a more equal society,” he noted.
The minister asserted that it is time for certain professional associations to question every single move taken.
“Are we really creating a more educated, skilled Sri Lanka or are we becoming part of the problem, creating barriers,” questioned Eran.
Acknowledging that Sri Lanka’s advantage in the long run will not be its location but its human resources, it was stressed that much work needs to be done in getting the attitude of students right and getting them ready to help contribute to the aspiring economy.