Trends in education

Some years ago, rural graduates were given placements in the private sector on a reasonable salary under a new programme of recruiting state graduates to the private sector.

While the wages were decent, they had to pay for accommodation in Colombo, food and other costs. However, when the government announced a scheme to recruit graduates to state entities, those who were already working in the private sector switched careers, even though a lower salary was offered. Why? Because they were not geared to a private sector career which requires hard work and dedication to climb the ladder.

It was revealed that in the state sector they are placed in government offices close to their homes and the work is not as stressful and demanding as in the private sector. Furthermore, being close to their homes, the cost was less, while there were other entitlements like pensions and being able to do their own thing like cultivate any land they possessed or run a small boutique after office hours.

That public-private sector experiment failed. Since then, universities have been preparing undergraduates to take up private sector positions with adequate guidance and skills.

Change would also come with a new shift in schools with the entry of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics) education which according to experts is a learning mechanism “for guiding student inquiry, dialogue, and critical thinking”.

While I pondered over these issues, the phone rang. It was Ruwanputha, my young economist-friend, wanting to discuss some issues which however didn’t relate to today’s discussion on STEAM education.

“Hello, there are some interesting developments in the stock market this week,” he said.

“What are these developments? The only thing I can remember is President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s recent negative comments saying the stock market can close if they are averse to change in the economic fundamentals that the government is implementing. That comment sent shockwaves across investors and adversely impacted the bourse,” I said.

“Well, I am referring to Dialog’s announcement about a potential merger with Airtel and with shares exchanged between both companies and Nestle, a long-standing stock in the Colombo Stock Exchange, deciding to exit the stock market,” he said.

“The Dialog move is interesting and such consolidation could lead to just three players in the telecom sector – Dialog leading the way followed by SLT-Mobitel and Hutch. Whether

Dialog and Airtel continue as separate players remains to be seen,” I said, adding that the Nestle exit from the stock market is also a huge development.

“Nestle says they can develop faster by being out of the stock market. That may be the case as they need to consult shareholders often for every evolving move,” he said.

“I hope shareholders get a good rate for their shares they sell to the company in the buyback arrangement,” I said, ending the call after discussing a wide range of issues including political developments and the IMF deal.

Back to today’s topic of discussion, the decision to move into STEAM education was launched in Colombo on March 31 at an event attended by Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha. The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Education, the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Education. More than 1,000 students, teachers, principals, scientists, educationists and officials of the agencies under the ministry were present at this event, according to media reports.

Originally it was STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) that was introduced globally followed by STEAM. STEAM, which also incorporates Art, has the potential to expand the limits of STEM education and application.

These developments further the standards of education in meeting the needs, in particular in the private sector which is playing a commanding role in the economy and socio-economic development of the country. Consider the Information Technology (IT) sector for example; this sector requires thousands of new graduates every year but this number is far greater than the supply. Could STEAM education help here?

That’s possible if the present education curriculum and standards also include a comprehensive IT component from Grade 1 to Advanced Level. IT graduates command salaries that are much higher than other professions and going into an IT career needs to be encouraged at school level, otherwise the country would be forced to recruit foreign graduates to fill local positions. Another critical aspect is providing the infrastructure in rural schools which are often at a disadvantage when new subjects or teaching methods are introduced.

According to the Education Minister, STEAM will allow schoolchildren to combine the conceptual knowledge acquired in the classroom under general education with practical use in the classroom as well as outside of it.

He said the STEAM education model is currently used in 96 countries around the world led by the US and has attracted the attention of educators as a very successful method. It is reported that STEM education was first introduced in 1999 by the US National Science Foundation to their schools. It was later developed worldwide as STEAM education with the inclusion of the arts.

In the Sri Lankan context, arts undergraduates need to be given a grounding in STEAM education in addition to teaching it in schools. Arts undergraduates are the boiling point in university education, often engaging in political activity, leading from the front in the multiple protests that we see today. At the end of the day, they stay longer in universities which are forced to delay semesters owing to these protests and also those by university staff often on various non-related university work.

STEAM education will enable a more rounded education for today’s children and prepare them as future citizens of the world while opening up more opportunities in the job market, with new skills needed in the workplace being acquired.

As I was completing today’s column, I was reminded of some comments by the trio earlier on Thursday morning. “Digatama vishwa vidyalawala lamai karana virodatha ratata honda ne (These continuing protests by university students is bad for the country),” said Kussi Amma Sera.

“Mae lamai ridda ganne egollantamai mae istrike saha virodatha nisa. Eka shishya nayakayek vishwa vidyalaye indala thiyenawa avurudu hatha-kata wediya (These students are only hurting themselves by resorting to strikes and protests. One of the student leaders has been in the university for more than seven years)!” said Serapina.

“Poudgalika vishwa vidyalawala upadi-darinta mae deval nisa vaasi (Graduates from private universities are at an advantage due to these developments),” noted

Rasthiyadu.

While sipping tea, I reflected on the positive steps taken to introduce STEAM education which would prepare students for tomorrow’s challenges and ensure Sri Lanka’s education structure is attuned to modern trends.