Rural schoolchildren will suffer the most
I refer to your lead article in the Education Times of March 10, on the above subject. To many readers, this would appear to be a very reasonable course of action, for the Department of Education to take, when the Department is short of funds to invest on Education. While our politicians help themselves to luxurious lives, to hell with Education for the poor! It may come as a surprise to some readers that, there are, in fact, schools with less than 50 students.
In highly populated urban areas, where there are many schools, if such a decision is taken to close such small schools, the students of those small schools can, probably, be accommodated in larger schools close by. However, to take a decision to close all small schools in the island can seriously affect the Education of children in our rural communities. If this is done, these children will have to walk long distances to get to the next closest school. We have many such communities, very often engaged in agriculture or related vocations, making a not-so-insignificant contribution to our country’s economy. Such action by the government will not be consistent with its efforts to promote the idea that ‘The Closest School is the Best School’. Let us also not forget the ‘Human-Elephant Conflicts’ that confront our rural (agricultural) communities. Closing down these small schools may lead to disastrous consequences.
Even in developed countries, such small schools exist. I remember a visit, many years ago, to a rural community in the Blue Mountain range in New South Wales, Australia. When I was taken to their village school, there must have been about 30-40 students of all ages, with just one teacher. Some of the older students took the lessons of the younger children. It was a great organisation and a great experience for me. I understand that such schools exist in sparsely populated rural communities even in New Zealand, and I am sure, in many other developed countries. Let us do what is right for our rural kids, who learn under difficult circumstances. - Eksith Fernando, Dehiwela.