A fruitful teacher-student interaction is the answer to educational advancement: EFSL
View(s):Education Forum Sri Lanka (EFSL) has analysed the issue over the demands made by teachers to revise salaries, and made observations and suggestions on minimising teacher-Government conflict in future.
The EFSL is an independent platform that engages with experts and stakeholders from multiple sectors to catalyse policy reforms in education using evidence-based interventions.
The EFSL, whose founder members are Dr Tara de Mel, a senior lecturer in physiology, Dr Sujata Gamage who specialises in planning, evaluation and capacity building in education and Nisha Arunatilake who has been a research fellow at IPS since 2000 and was appointed as the Director of Research in January 2018, has presented its views in a question and answer format as follows;
Q: Is this salary issue truly a ‘crisis’ as portrayed by the teachers?
A: Yes, because for about two decades, on average, all teachers have been paid a basic or starting salary of less than ~ Rs 35,000 per month. This is important because the education sector, on which future generations and socio-economic advancement of this country rests, depends almost exclusively on the contentment of 241,000 teachers. A fruitful teacher-student interaction is the answer to educational advancement, at least in part. Due to this crisis students have been without any substantial education for the last several months.
Q: Is it true that ad-hoc salary increases for teachers alone cannot be done, since it will lead to similar demands by other sectors?
A: Yes, that’s true. That’s why it’s important to immediately appoint a team of officials who are knowledgeable on the topic, to create comparable salary structures for all similar professionals. This Team should give their recommendations in six to eight weeks. This can easily be done since there are many experienced personnel available and willing to do it. Meanwhile teachers should have been given a respectable interim allowance a few months ago, for the yeoman service they have done in delivering various forms of distance education using their own resources, since schools closed 16 months ago.
Q: Does the Government have money to allocate for such an allowance?
There are enough vanity projects that can be scrapped to provide for teachers’ allowances, teacher-accommodation close to school, and other welfare measures. A contented teacher cadre will facilitate high quality education. Such an education suited for the 21st century will propel Sri Lanka from a low-income country to one with high-income. The return on investment in teachers andeducation grows exponentially.
Q: What should be done to ease the current deadlock between the Government and teachers?
A: The Government should acknowledge mistakes and invite teachers to go back to work, whilst speeding up vaccinations to facilitate school re-opening when the pandemic wanes. The Treasury should work out an interim-allowance for all teachers as compensation for using their own resources since schools have closed. Meanwhile give a realistic road-map on how teachers’ grievances will be addressed. These should be done with honesty and sincerity. The teacher-principal promotional scheme the Education Ministry is supposedly developing should be finalised soon. The new scheme should include greater accountability and responsibility by teachers. The centre of gravity should move to schools and teachers, not bureaucrats. These ideas should be discussed with teacher unions before finalising.
Q: What steps should be undertaken to minimise teacher-Government conflict in future?
A: First, underscore the value of education for socio-economic advancement of any country. Recognise that teachers are the connector between students and education. Give teachers due recognition, and empower and equip them to become knowledge-creators and change-makers in the 21st century. The Government should deal with their issues with integrity & transparency. Predict and address teacher-issues before they surface. Appoint a non-political, non-bureaucratic ombudsman to advise them appropriately. Salary anomaly rectification is just one major issue out of many, which need answers fast.