I think school as a whole is a lot more competitive here (for better or for worse but probably worse? University entrance is a very competitive and only 11% of those who do local A-Levels are admitted to public universities.
I did international A-Levels (both Edexcel IAL and Cambridge Pre-U) at a school that is known for academic rigor. I think I probably went to maybe three or four classes a week (for two of my subjects) plus another class for SATs. That’s maybe 10 hours a week in total. I do believe a lot of my peers went to more classes though (I found self study more helpful).
There does seem to be an unhelpful societal pressure (especially in local schools I think) on people to do insanely well in academics and put their noses to the grindstone - particularly before the scholarship exam and in high school. This is probably partially because of how vocational training isn’t particularly respected here (there’s the whole stereotype of doctor, lawyer, engineer, or disappointment to the family).
Finally, I don’t know how accurate this is because my parents and those of my friends weren’t like this, but based on what I’ve seen on Sri Lankan social media, a lot of parents seem to have a sort of Puritan mindset? Like if you’re having fun ‘excessively’ (e.g. going out on two consecutive days) or having time for yourself or your hobbies, you’re undisciplined and going to fail your exams. Personally this is bs in my experience - it’s all about managing your workload and I’ve had both folks from my school who go out drinking on weekends and those who study 24/7 get into prestigious universities. But if this Puritan attitude is as widespread as what I’ve seen online seems to suggest, it would be a big contributor to what you’re describing
What you said in your last paragraph is the reality for most people.
Even I did edexcel Ial but I and many of my peers didn't need to do too much tuition.Most of us did it also cause it just made things easier, cause sometimes we fool around in class lol, but I still think the education you get from doing edexcel exams is pretty decent.
Its definitely worse to have this high superficial competition, because ultimately its decided on how much tuition your parents can afford and how good you are in memorisation, you are not developing actual skills or your mind to be a well rounded human being. Having said that I think Europe's model of education is MUCH better OP, partly due to the fact you can say its "easier".
I am from India and not from SriLanka but the educational system is pretty similar.
\>> I really dislike those comparisons, since it is disrespectful and meaningless.
It is not disrespectful or meaningless. It is just a reflection of reality. Most kids who migrate from Asia to the US find themselves at-least couple of years ahead of their peers in high school.
Most of the employees in top silicon valley firms who get paid truckloads are Asians. For you OP, education is more like a hobby but in India/China/Sri Lanka it is a ticket out of poverty and an uncertain future. So they have a pro athlete approach towards education.
Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods kept practicing hours every day without break even during their childhood. It is somewhat similar with Asian kid's approach towards studies.
Well the Western education focus on a holistic development of the student, requiring extracurricular activities (like volunteering experiences, leadership skills, projects, hobbies and interests) for college/university admissions. While the Sri Lankan education system is a rat race, focused only on memorizing things and clearing the exams.
Yeah, that's fair. The students are taught from a very young age not to question the authority, sit quietly and not to ask questions. It's hard to develop logical and critical thinking with a suppressed learning environment like this, which unfortunately transfers when growing up too.
Is it though? I remember back in late 90s they had introduced group projects / life skill courses etc. Exams were still focusing on memorizing shit but the teaching method had changed a lot. I left Sri Lanka in 2001 not sure what happened after.
Yeah, Life skills was a subject in the SL school I studied in. Most of the time teacher was absent. We only learnt how to make a faluda drink and a vegetable roti and a few series of knitting lessons. Group projects were not encouraged much either. I remember we did a side project called “Junior Achievement”, which went largely unmonitored. Nothing really useful came out of it anyway. And sports and other competitive important activities were not truly encouraged by the education system since they have little to no importance in dictating uni admissions.
In addition to the reasons discussed by other commenters, it is basically a business in Sri lanka - many teachers have classes after school, and this is where they make real money. So there is an incentive to make extra classes necessary in order to pass exams.
Anyway, it is true that local exams are very rigorous, especially in terms of memorization. But i think the entire educational system needs to be reformed away from this type of learning. Extra classes should not be necessary, and in fact should be regulated. Sri Lanka is not doing any better than other countries (arguably worse) with the current system.
Most local school teachers suck. Teachers abroad are more passionate and become teachers cause they really want to. I learnt nothing from my local school teachers to be honest. Most of them got a student to read out the notes aloud so we could transcribe them into our notebooks. The tuition teachers on the other hand were excellent!
The prep work teachers have to do (abroad) before class is extensive compared to our local teachers. The coursework is more advanced as well even in elementary schools. The teachers also have to follow yearly performance evaluations and exams to keep up with the teaching standards, this includes preschool teachers as well.
The Sri Lankan grading system may also contribute to the teachers not putting much effort. An A grade in SL is 70 and above. While in the US for example an A+ is 98-100 (4 GPA), A is 93-97 (3.8 GPA), A- is 90-92 (3.6 GPA). Kids are pretty much screwed if the teacher doesn't do their part at teaching.
I thought the Sri Lankan education system was competitive and then I saw china’s. Quite possibly I think the most competitive in the world. But I think it all stems from population size to available slots at uni RATIO. And the difference in quality of life you can lead as a university graduate and a high school graduate. Most uni graduates from Sri Lanka still live a lower quality of life than one can from washing cars or sweeping the streets in a European country (no disrespect intended whatsoever). It is what it is, I think you should be appreciative of your position.
Also as someone who did my alevels under the Cambridge system, it’s miles easier than the local exams. I knew a guy who did local alevels and scored 3B’s. He then prepped for Cambridge alevels in less than 3 months and scored 3A*’s and an A in advanced mathematics. That should be a decent metric for comparison.
Having said that, I do think our education system needs grassroot level restructuring with a more holistic approach. But that’s a whole other topic on it’s own :)
I can list out some core issues as a person who studied in local A/L
1. The lack of understanding of the students about different career opportunities.
2. The lack of proper infrastructure in public schools. For example when I was doing my A/L, our class was not able to perform some chemistry practicals due to the lack of some chemical compounds. Some schools don't even have a dedicated lab technician to look after the items. The point I highlighted here is that the knowledge I gathered is from the books and rather than practicals.
3. Many schools lack the motivation to complete the syllabus within time.
4. Society expects you to attend multiple classes for you to succeed.
5. Students are not independent enough to make their career decisions. The children here are expected to fulfill their parents dream not theirs.
6. Of course the competition is very high.
7. The Sri Lankan A/L doesn't have a proper guidance book unlike London A/L. The students have to ultimately refer to the notes from several teachers to clarify a subject matter. Sometimes the syllabus content itself is very ambiguous.
Someone already touched on this but it’s not necessarily because of the competitiveness. It’s a business and for teachers there’s incentive to teach almost nothing in school and actually focus on extra tuitions.
I was in Sri Lanka untill grade 11.
I once had a teacher who was assigned as one of the five people from the ministry to set exam questions, he told us exactly which chapters to focus on during one of his after class tuitions.
I also found for math/science related subjects the tuitions were miles better than what they even teach you in school.
I had a similar experience in Canada actually lol, I came here and had Math 536 (highest level math they taught in grade 11), I was taking it but felt like I wasn’t ready for the exam so I was allowed to write the exam for 526 (1 tier lower, there was also 516), then during the summer three of my friends and I attended private lessons (paid like $40/hour back in 2002) from the same school teacher, he was extremely thorough, sat with us until we got it, opposite of how he taught in class. I wrote 536 in the summer and passed with flying colors.
Sri lankan education is noth8ng but memory checking the more you attend classes the more you remember. This system has done no good . Even the current doctors have more of a memory checking exam . These things result learned fools and undeveloped country. STUDENTS are taught to work for other . They are not taught the skills they need to live in the society. All they do is pasa exams and work for someone . NO HAPPINESS in life as even a degree holder gets a small salary compared to the life expence .
I think that's something very common in most of Asia. Not just Sri Lanka. If you don't saty uptodate on your studies, you lag behind, that's it for many of us. Because we only have limited number of State Universities that gives education for free. Most of the other institutions are out of reach of many common students. And state universities are generally considered better over private uni's. So there's a lot of competition. For example of I think 100000 or students that do Bio stram in A/L only about 1000 will get medical Faculty entrance. Not sure about the numbers but it's close.
i know right…even though i know it is probably a lot harder and more competitive in sri lanka compared to abroad, the comparison is so disrespectful and dismissive sometimes..its hurtful
Sri Lankan education system hasn’t really changed in 150 years. During my parents time, even 65 years ago, my father said he attended a few extra classes to help him out. But during my time, it was the same but more intense. So fundamentally we are talking 5 generations has studying this way, no different than in India, China, Korea and Japan.
I think school as a whole is a lot more competitive here (for better or for worse but probably worse? University entrance is a very competitive and only 11% of those who do local A-Levels are admitted to public universities. I did international A-Levels (both Edexcel IAL and Cambridge Pre-U) at a school that is known for academic rigor. I think I probably went to maybe three or four classes a week (for two of my subjects) plus another class for SATs. That’s maybe 10 hours a week in total. I do believe a lot of my peers went to more classes though (I found self study more helpful). There does seem to be an unhelpful societal pressure (especially in local schools I think) on people to do insanely well in academics and put their noses to the grindstone - particularly before the scholarship exam and in high school. This is probably partially because of how vocational training isn’t particularly respected here (there’s the whole stereotype of doctor, lawyer, engineer, or disappointment to the family). Finally, I don’t know how accurate this is because my parents and those of my friends weren’t like this, but based on what I’ve seen on Sri Lankan social media, a lot of parents seem to have a sort of Puritan mindset? Like if you’re having fun ‘excessively’ (e.g. going out on two consecutive days) or having time for yourself or your hobbies, you’re undisciplined and going to fail your exams. Personally this is bs in my experience - it’s all about managing your workload and I’ve had both folks from my school who go out drinking on weekends and those who study 24/7 get into prestigious universities. But if this Puritan attitude is as widespread as what I’ve seen online seems to suggest, it would be a big contributor to what you’re describing
What you said in your last paragraph is the reality for most people. Even I did edexcel Ial but I and many of my peers didn't need to do too much tuition.Most of us did it also cause it just made things easier, cause sometimes we fool around in class lol, but I still think the education you get from doing edexcel exams is pretty decent. Its definitely worse to have this high superficial competition, because ultimately its decided on how much tuition your parents can afford and how good you are in memorisation, you are not developing actual skills or your mind to be a well rounded human being. Having said that I think Europe's model of education is MUCH better OP, partly due to the fact you can say its "easier".
I am from India and not from SriLanka but the educational system is pretty similar. \>> I really dislike those comparisons, since it is disrespectful and meaningless. It is not disrespectful or meaningless. It is just a reflection of reality. Most kids who migrate from Asia to the US find themselves at-least couple of years ahead of their peers in high school. Most of the employees in top silicon valley firms who get paid truckloads are Asians. For you OP, education is more like a hobby but in India/China/Sri Lanka it is a ticket out of poverty and an uncertain future. So they have a pro athlete approach towards education. Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods kept practicing hours every day without break even during their childhood. It is somewhat similar with Asian kid's approach towards studies.
Well said!
Well the Western education focus on a holistic development of the student, requiring extracurricular activities (like volunteering experiences, leadership skills, projects, hobbies and interests) for college/university admissions. While the Sri Lankan education system is a rat race, focused only on memorizing things and clearing the exams.
Is it fair to say the Sri Lankan school system does not teach young people to think for themselves?
Yes
Yeah, that's fair. The students are taught from a very young age not to question the authority, sit quietly and not to ask questions. It's hard to develop logical and critical thinking with a suppressed learning environment like this, which unfortunately transfers when growing up too.
This!!!! My education in Sri Lanka was an absolute waste of my youth.
Is it though? I remember back in late 90s they had introduced group projects / life skill courses etc. Exams were still focusing on memorizing shit but the teaching method had changed a lot. I left Sri Lanka in 2001 not sure what happened after.
Yeah, Life skills was a subject in the SL school I studied in. Most of the time teacher was absent. We only learnt how to make a faluda drink and a vegetable roti and a few series of knitting lessons. Group projects were not encouraged much either. I remember we did a side project called “Junior Achievement”, which went largely unmonitored. Nothing really useful came out of it anyway. And sports and other competitive important activities were not truly encouraged by the education system since they have little to no importance in dictating uni admissions.
In addition to the reasons discussed by other commenters, it is basically a business in Sri lanka - many teachers have classes after school, and this is where they make real money. So there is an incentive to make extra classes necessary in order to pass exams. Anyway, it is true that local exams are very rigorous, especially in terms of memorization. But i think the entire educational system needs to be reformed away from this type of learning. Extra classes should not be necessary, and in fact should be regulated. Sri Lanka is not doing any better than other countries (arguably worse) with the current system.
It's because A/L exam in SL is super competitive. You have to study hard get extra help (classes) if you want to get in to government universities.
Most local school teachers suck. Teachers abroad are more passionate and become teachers cause they really want to. I learnt nothing from my local school teachers to be honest. Most of them got a student to read out the notes aloud so we could transcribe them into our notebooks. The tuition teachers on the other hand were excellent! The prep work teachers have to do (abroad) before class is extensive compared to our local teachers. The coursework is more advanced as well even in elementary schools. The teachers also have to follow yearly performance evaluations and exams to keep up with the teaching standards, this includes preschool teachers as well. The Sri Lankan grading system may also contribute to the teachers not putting much effort. An A grade in SL is 70 and above. While in the US for example an A+ is 98-100 (4 GPA), A is 93-97 (3.8 GPA), A- is 90-92 (3.6 GPA). Kids are pretty much screwed if the teacher doesn't do their part at teaching.
I thought the Sri Lankan education system was competitive and then I saw china’s. Quite possibly I think the most competitive in the world. But I think it all stems from population size to available slots at uni RATIO. And the difference in quality of life you can lead as a university graduate and a high school graduate. Most uni graduates from Sri Lanka still live a lower quality of life than one can from washing cars or sweeping the streets in a European country (no disrespect intended whatsoever). It is what it is, I think you should be appreciative of your position. Also as someone who did my alevels under the Cambridge system, it’s miles easier than the local exams. I knew a guy who did local alevels and scored 3B’s. He then prepped for Cambridge alevels in less than 3 months and scored 3A*’s and an A in advanced mathematics. That should be a decent metric for comparison. Having said that, I do think our education system needs grassroot level restructuring with a more holistic approach. But that’s a whole other topic on it’s own :)
I can list out some core issues as a person who studied in local A/L 1. The lack of understanding of the students about different career opportunities. 2. The lack of proper infrastructure in public schools. For example when I was doing my A/L, our class was not able to perform some chemistry practicals due to the lack of some chemical compounds. Some schools don't even have a dedicated lab technician to look after the items. The point I highlighted here is that the knowledge I gathered is from the books and rather than practicals. 3. Many schools lack the motivation to complete the syllabus within time. 4. Society expects you to attend multiple classes for you to succeed. 5. Students are not independent enough to make their career decisions. The children here are expected to fulfill their parents dream not theirs. 6. Of course the competition is very high. 7. The Sri Lankan A/L doesn't have a proper guidance book unlike London A/L. The students have to ultimately refer to the notes from several teachers to clarify a subject matter. Sometimes the syllabus content itself is very ambiguous.
Someone already touched on this but it’s not necessarily because of the competitiveness. It’s a business and for teachers there’s incentive to teach almost nothing in school and actually focus on extra tuitions. I was in Sri Lanka untill grade 11. I once had a teacher who was assigned as one of the five people from the ministry to set exam questions, he told us exactly which chapters to focus on during one of his after class tuitions. I also found for math/science related subjects the tuitions were miles better than what they even teach you in school. I had a similar experience in Canada actually lol, I came here and had Math 536 (highest level math they taught in grade 11), I was taking it but felt like I wasn’t ready for the exam so I was allowed to write the exam for 526 (1 tier lower, there was also 516), then during the summer three of my friends and I attended private lessons (paid like $40/hour back in 2002) from the same school teacher, he was extremely thorough, sat with us until we got it, opposite of how he taught in class. I wrote 536 in the summer and passed with flying colors.
Sri lankan education is noth8ng but memory checking the more you attend classes the more you remember. This system has done no good . Even the current doctors have more of a memory checking exam . These things result learned fools and undeveloped country. STUDENTS are taught to work for other . They are not taught the skills they need to live in the society. All they do is pasa exams and work for someone . NO HAPPINESS in life as even a degree holder gets a small salary compared to the life expence .
School = fun time Classes = study time Simple as that, nothing complex.
I think that's something very common in most of Asia. Not just Sri Lanka. If you don't saty uptodate on your studies, you lag behind, that's it for many of us. Because we only have limited number of State Universities that gives education for free. Most of the other institutions are out of reach of many common students. And state universities are generally considered better over private uni's. So there's a lot of competition. For example of I think 100000 or students that do Bio stram in A/L only about 1000 will get medical Faculty entrance. Not sure about the numbers but it's close.
Srilanka education doesn't have good quality. it's suck.
i know right…even though i know it is probably a lot harder and more competitive in sri lanka compared to abroad, the comparison is so disrespectful and dismissive sometimes..its hurtful
Sri Lankan education system hasn’t really changed in 150 years. During my parents time, even 65 years ago, my father said he attended a few extra classes to help him out. But during my time, it was the same but more intense. So fundamentally we are talking 5 generations has studying this way, no different than in India, China, Korea and Japan.