The Z score conundrum – what is taking so long?

As we all know the Head of the Department of Examinations, within the Ministry of Education and University Grants Commission, had decided to pool the two syllabi of the A levels and issued the Z score based on the old and new syllabus being equivalent. So to simplify, a score of 89 in each amounted to the same for the purposes of calculating the Z score, which was issued on December 25^th 2011, even though one exam might be more difficult, involve a completely different scoring base than the other.

The resulting furor, and subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court, only came in a ruling on June 25^th 2012, which I consider an inordinate delay, when comparing and evaluating the issue at hand, and importance of the determination for over 300,000 students who may be affected.

Despite the recommendation of the Court, the UGC, the Govt. committee appointed to recommend a solution, has as yet, (July7th) not come up with a definitive decision. The students still do not know if they can or not enter the University, as their score has not been finalized. The mental anguish the young people in Sri Lanka must go through must be immense. The Govt. does not seem to care, as those in the decision making role do not appear to care!! Of course the President of Sri Lanka, included, as he is perfectly aware of the importance and urgency, but does not seem to have the power to come to a firm timely decision.

Education for a young person is their livelihood. A delay of over 6 months at this stage is tantamount to career change and chances missed. Just because politicians do not see the urgency does not mean there is NO urgency. The reputation of the Sri Lanka A levels has suffered irreparable damage, only giving a fillip to the private sector that does not take heed of the local A levels, and instead train their charges to international O and A levels, that now seem to be a better bet, especially if one is able to afford it.

We are seeing a separation of haves and have-nots in Sri Lanka, where the have-nots are further disadvantaged by this Z score fiasco. This leads to the private sector students gaining an upper hand. This Govt. is has completely failed to satisfy the basic requirements of the free education system and appear by its action or inaction to further erode free public education rights of Sri Lanka. Critics can argue that the Politicians are in the pocket of the private sector bent on destroying the credibility of the public sector.

Self Harm – ‘A growing trend among Youth’

A recent article in the Sunday Observer, (July 1^st in fact) written by   Nilma Dole, highlighted a problem, I have also noticed and was wondering about, and now it seems to make sense.

In addition to smoking, alcoholism and drug abuse, hitting or cutting oneself are all various degrees of self harm. It is the latter two I wish to highlight, as we are well aware of the former issues, which have been mentioned in this blog in earlier essays.

Apparently boys are more likely to hit themselves and women cut themselves. They are part of a system of externalizing of internal or mental pain they may suffer from. The best way to get to grips is first to identify there is a problem and try to find its root cause.

The parents are usually the last to acknowledge a problem, as they cannot believe their offspring can resort to such activity. However in Sri Lanka we appear to be very weak in reading depression and mental illness, and so are unable to see the external signs of this problem. Even worse, if parents go with their offspring to see a doctor, they usually insist on being present with the doctor, a wholly counterproductive exercise.

It is important that the consultation is done on a one on one basis with a medical practitioner, well versed enough in knowing what to do and who to recommend they see as a specialist. Parents usually are adamant it is not something that the specialist identifies as a problem, either because they themselves are in denial, or are also aware that they are partially to blame for this condition.

Often this problem can arise out of a feeling of low self esteem that can be caused by abuse, physical or sexual, either in the home or in school, that is internalized. Only a good counselor can get it out of the young person, before something is done about it. Many young people are embarrassed to be open about it or admit to the problem. Once identified, a good medical practitioner will be able to determine the mix of drugs and counseling that is required to hopefully cure the patient out of the problem. It is most important that the young person seek the guidance of someone they can completely trust. We must open up the communication links for young people to address their personal issues so they do not go in this direction.

The entry into politics for Youth is through the Opposition

If you are thinking of entering active politics in the future, and you have a clear goal as to where you want to go, I would recommend, especially for those with meager resources to come in through the Opposition. When a party is in the Opposition, they have less of a demand on their resources. A young person can more easily make a name for himself amongst his peers in the opposition as only those serious enough will be in that group of active members, be it in a youth organization or not.

One has a greater chance of making a name for oneself within the opposition as there will be too many people within the government, and favorites of the ruling coalition will grab all available places. This is not the case in the opposition. The numbers are fewer, the chances and greater and in time the opposition will form a government, and by that time those who join now will be able to be where the action is with the movers and shakers.

To achieve this you have to be sure of yourself and faith in being able to come to power. Once you build a name within your party as a hard worker, you will without doubt get nomination for the Pradeshiya Sabhas as they allocate a specific percentage of positions for youth. You can almost be guaranteed to get the ticket to contest, and often they have no members to fill the quota according to the age group currently set as 35 and under.

When you receive your ticket you will get the needed experience to contest and run a campaign. There will be an element of competition within the party, and this will toughen you for the road ahead and know exactly what is happening outside. You have time on your hands, and so defeat does not need to be taken as a reason to quit, but more as a reason to learn from the mistakes so that next time round, you will be able to do what it is you want with the campaign and know how you can play the game, as that is what it really is, a game of bluff and counter bluff.

The skill you put to your campaign and the initial number of votes you get generally allows you to contest next time with a base of people willing to help be it in kind or generally in cash. There are people willing to fund you. They can be called on to help and you just need to run a carefully planned campaign. It is the only real method through which one with few resources can build a base of youth and they will be with you as and when you are able to get to the next point of elected office, when fund raising becomes easier.

It is easier to cut your teeth into the game that is politics at an early stage, but also to keep a balance to ensure that you build a career that is other than politics. Otherwise you will be beholden to others or resort to crime to fund your way as many who have been down this road have done. It is important that you are able to consider yourself a man of principle and are willing to dedicate yourself to the people, and represent their interests first and foremost as a holder of elected office is a servant and representative of the people, not the other way round.

Never forget that during your whole political life. Service to your people and to your nation. Not the examples you see today.

The Fundamental Right to ‘Free Education’

The Leader of the Opposition, Ranil Wickremasinghe MP stated on Wednesday, 4^th July in Parliament that if an Amendment was introduced in Parliament, enshrining in the Constitution, the Right to Education as a Fundamental Right, that his party will support the Amendment.

It is significant that this extremely important statement received scant attention from the Government benches, perhaps because no one really understands that term, as most people in the Government appear to display ignorance or lack of schooling and will be put to shame if there are actually educated people around, thanks to this Fundamental Right.

I do not know the real reason, but either way, it is a landmark that the Youth of today must consider adopting as one of their goals in Sri Lanka. This amendment will then safeguard free education, at least till the A levels, and will be the responsibility of the Government in power to provide.

While Private Education will always thrive in a society that becomes increasingly prosperous, the right will still remain to ensure a basic standard of state education, free of charge until the A levels. The increasing trend to private education in the primary and secondary sector, to say nothing of the tertiary sector will reduce the pressure on the state system, and also release funds to improve its quality, by syllabus revision, lower class sizes and improved quality of teachers in the public sector.

I recommend that a ‘Youth Lobby’ be set up for at least lobbying the lawmakers to think about introducing and passing this amendment without delay. It will at a stroke, prevent the Govt. from taking arbitrary steps to reduce the value of free education, by providing fewer facilities both of quality teaching staff, of equipment and infrastructure to drive students away to private education.

In order to market this concept, one must highlight the current trend in education, which with the Z score fiasco, gives little confidence to students and parents about the quality and desirability of Public Education. It is important that in the amendment some basic quality standards are adhered to prevent students from falling behind and not completing their basic education, as it will impinge on their future, which they will not know of until it is too late. It is important that someone takes the initiative now.

Tell the Truth for God’s sake

Is this the first time or do I continue on this theme? If it is continuous it is because it is a topic that needs to be addressed time and time again, as lying especially by young people who are unable to account for their actions is a huge issue in 2012 Sri Lanka. Is it a problem all over the world? I am sure to a lesser degree, but young people in Sri Lanka believe it is a license to lie.

This lying culture especially by the youth who get routinely beaten up by the police because the answers given are lies and bald faced lies, it is important that something is done about it and addressed. In addition to lying, the SL culture is one that hates to say No to anything or cant and therefore there is an added cultural dimension to the lying. For example when people are invited to an event, even a dhana, they do not say they cannot come. So when they do not come it is either expected or not a surprise. So it is hard to know who will come when invited as no one likes to say no. They at least say they will try and come for at least a short while, when they mean they really have no chance of coming to the event.

I have this lying problem from well educated intellectuals, more than I get from poor or simple youth from villages who sometimes seem to have a better sense of truth and lies!! That I find is quite surprising, as it therefore is not an education issue, and is more a cultural thing, with people who try to keep up with the Joneses more likely to lie than those who have simple tastes and simple requirements.

I hope that we will be able to change this lying culture, but that can only be done through a project at schools for grade one and two to discourage them from lying.

This will then, along with practical aspects of saving the environment are all areas where youth can be taught a whole lot of things. In this blog, I will go on about adding to the list of primary teaching requirements so lying or telling the truth is top of the list, saving the environment, and preventing pollution is also top of the list, and along with the respect for the elders, that is also lost on youth. These are all timely requirements which can make a huge difference to the future of youth, in them being able to find employment and hold down jobs, both of which they find hard to do today.

I hope young people can look inward and stop lying to save their skin!

Building consensus amongst Youth

Young people who are generally intelligent wish to express their individual opinions on a subject. The fault is they are usually unable to listen to the opinions of others which differ from their own. In that sense they tend to be very narrow minded and not open to hearing other opinions, even though at the same time they are fickle and are able to switch allegiances in a moment if their wishes are not fulfilled with the first interaction.

So how does one deal with this dichotomy? It is easier to first explain that there are divergent opinions and that we must make an attempt at least to understand why other people have them and try and look at the issue from their perspective which may differ significantly from ours.

It is important at that stage to reason, why one holds one’s own opinion so that one can back one’s statements with reasoning, which may not find acceptance with others, but which nevertheless is a belief one holds due to one’s own rationale. One is then able to build on that belief with facts and be able to defend it without fear or hesitation, further strengthening the case within one’s own mind and perhaps convincing others of its merit.

It is through reasoning therefore that one can expect others to convert to your opinion. In this was you are able to gain credibility and a following which will enable you to strengthen your base and build up your case in areas of doubt and debate.

Only then can one build consensus, in taking positions in finding agreement on matters of concern for youth, be it in a political party, a club or even a charitable venture as they all require considerable debate before agreement is reached preferably unanimously but otherwise through consensus with a few dissenters, as is sometimes inevitable in some important issues.

This will assist a young person in communicating with the older set as well and show the power of youth in important decisions. I do believe that in time youth can take automatic leadership if they are able to compromise and build a consensus at the same time, as it shows maturity, which is important when one takes up responsibility especially in a managerial situation, where one has to play a delicate game with different parties, all tasked with carrying out objectives of the institution. When one is more able to deal with differing objectives, it is easier to manage and build consensus with others.

Market yourself into a career

I read a speech given my a Mr Wickremage I think his name was the Marketing Director of Ceylon Biscuits Group, who from humble beginnings worked his way to the top of the career ladder and along the way garnered some prestigious international marketing awards to boot.

There was a lot of telling advice for youth that I thought relevant enough to note here, and hopefully inspire some of you to take on a career in this field. Sales and Marketing are fields that were in great demand in the past. Many found that if they were able to join at the bottom, their competence and ability if proven, will definitely take them right to the top, and Mr Wickremage was one who believed, and achieved the goal set for himself.

It is a unique career path that helps you to move from different companies and rise up, by sheer performance. Sales and Marketing are skills, rarely learned at University. So they generally do not hire Graduates as the outlook and expectations of graduates are very different to the rough and tumble of a marketing personality. The latter however pays a lot more than what a graduate can earn, and that is purely by effort and hard work equals reward.

While sales and marketing are different avenues, they are closely related and often training is required in both as they are complimentary. I was surprised when it was noted that youth today shun this field and they find fewer applicants choosing this field by choice. It is an indication of the expectation of instant gratification of youth today.

A good salesman can sell insurance one day, and banking products the next. Spare parts maybe later, and then pharmaceuticals, before moving on to FMCG products. It is all part of the variety of sales, and in the US sales professionals sometimes earn more than the directors they work for as their remuneration is mainly in the form of commissions on sales they make.

There was one telling passage in his speech. It was that he said we must never tell youth today, that we started at the bottom and climbed the greasy pole over decades to get to the top. Young people cannot think as far as a decade. They want to know what they can achieve in the space of a year, and if we are able to fulfill those expectations, we will be able to work on a successful relationship in a job. Rarely do sales people at the start stay on in one company for more than 2 years. So it is important to sell it short term.