EDUCATION IS THE FORTUNE OF MAN

“One should receive education well, because it is the only thing that cannot be taken away from us by thieves”.

The above is the translation of a famous Sinhala advisory poem that shows the importance of education.

In the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, education is listed as one of the main right of a human being. Education is necessary for all – round development of a human being. Success name, fame, prosperity, all accrues if one has proper education.

Sri Lanka has a free educations system. It is said that Sri Lanka is the only country in the world where education is given free from nursery school to the University.

There are thousands of graduates in our country who are still unemployed. This has become a burning problem. This situation has been to be due to the shortcomings extend in our education system, especially in the curriculum. The curriculum should be changed according to the needs of the current world.

Every person has a desire to become something big in life and hope to benefit mankind and his nation in some special way. He may like to be a doctor, a teacher, an engineer, a businessman, a politician or a scientist and so on. But we must not forget that everyone is unable to achieve his or her target.

Vocational education is the only solution to the problem of those who cannot pursue higher education. There are many students who do not have the resources to pursue professional courses that cost much. So they prefer taking up some vocational course that is within their means. The government should take steps to establish vocational training centers on village level to enable the rural youth to improve their inborn talents and find a suitable employment.

It is crystal clear that the sort of book – oriented education that extended in this country for over half a century is not the best to face the next century. Education system should be revised, better planned. It should be more practical, more jobs – oriented, more agriculture or industry oriented.

According to Emerson “The things taught in schools and colleges are not an education, but the means of education.” Education is always an ongoing process, where a person learns something each day of his life.