The Breakdown of Schools
This is a painting of a student who died jumping off her school building last year. The artist is my sister Anu Samarajiva. I’m not sure if it’s inappropriate for this article, but I think it can be loosely intepreted as the hopes people put in their children’s education, and the mixed results they get.
“According to investigations, only 16 students out of 107 had been admitted improperly. This means I have done 90 percent of admissions correctly. We have to consider whether this is the kind of penalty for such an offence….”
- (Former) Kingswood College Principal R. Chandrasekara after being interdicted for malpractices concerning year 1, school admissions.
“For a bugger to be cocky enough to say something like this, really is not a good sign for what is happening around here is it?”
- Member of the elite and secretive Walalasekera Quotations Dictionary
I think there have been 3 principals (more?) sacked for taking bribes to let kids into school. I’d say the extent of the problem points to a systematic problem. Education is so damn stressful in this country. When I took the SATs I didn’t study at all, I just took them. I also pretty much coasted through high school. Here kids study all year for their A/Levels and spend what should be beer money on tuition classes. Now, apparently the rat race starts earlier, with your parents bribing your way into school. The sad thing is that rat race doesn’t lead anywhere. The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be unemployed.
I dunno if anyone wants to pursue this, but here’s the intro for a forthcoming piece on the subject, not by me. My comments are in italics.
“The above described symptoms point to a serious mismatch between demand and supply. But before applying market analysis, it is necessary to identify clearly what is being bought and sold in the market. It appears that parents (who are the “buyers” in the market for Year 1 admission to popular schools) seek an integrated bundle of services that includes:
# High-quality educational services for the school career of the child (i.e., over a 13-year period);
# Opportunities for the child to network with future members of economic, social and political elites and thereby to achieve upward social mobility (*akin to buying membership in a club*); and
# Improvement of own social status through obtaining a difficult-to-obtain scarce opportunity.
So, education is basically seen as social, akin to a Beamer or Benz.
The third component may be disputed, therefore evidence may be required. Given the relative fixity of resources (teachers, class rooms) and the intensity of demand, class sizes have increased from around 35 or less 30 years ago to close to 50 in the “popular” schools, not only in the Colombo schools but also in regional schools such as Dudley Senanayake MMV (formerly Tholangamuva Central College). Increased class size is universally recognized as a characteristic of reduced quality of education. The almost universal reliance on private tuition by students enrolled in popular government schools has resulted in the de facto conversion of the free education system into a hybrid free and fee-based system, partially because of the low quality of the educational services that are offered. The fact that demand for admission to these schools has not decreased despite the obvious deterioration of quality allows us to infer that few if any parents are getting component 1, and that components 2 and 3 may if fact be overshadowing component 1 in their calculus. Anyone who has had a conversation with the proud parent of a student recently admitted to Royal or Visakha can testify to the significance of Component 3.
So, even if the school sucks, as long as the ‘good people’ are going there you child will probably have a shot at more business and social opportunities
Why has the problem become so acute, despite Sri Lanka’s low birth rate? The quantitative increase of the middle class (defined as those whose basic needs have been met; and who have resources for self-improvement) over the past two decades is an obvious contributory factor. This was accentuated by the deeply ingrained faith in education as a means of social mobility. Underinvestment and inefficiency that are characteristic of government-supplied services, especially under conditions of low growth (defined as growth under 8 percent) exacerbated the problem. Improved access to transportation enabled parents to consider schools which required greater travel distances from home. In the early 1960s, parents living three miles outside Negombo, in Katunayake, considered that town too distant to send children to. Now the Katunayake schools are in danger of being closed down because most children from there are attending Negombo, Jaela or Colombo schools, using the ubiquitous van services.
The increased demand is not for all schools, but for popular schools. There is an ongoing process of consolidation whereby a small number of schools are becoming mega schools with enrollments in excess of 2000, while demand is dropping fast from small schools within their catchments.”
So, as far as I see it, in trying to enter the elite, the Sri Lankan middle class has completely redefined schools. They are really more like country clubs where you can make the connections to carry you through life. Taking money for prefered admittence is odd for a school, but perfectly normal for a country club. The paper moves on to propose some solutions, which I’ll quote when it’s released.
I think I’ve dwelt (albeit very sparsely) on this topic already.
A Colombo school is essentially a social club. If you get in, and do some sports (for guys) or debating or drama (for girls) you’re basically set. You can go for a job interview and drop some names.
“Mr. Director, I played for the XXX team in XXX year.”
“Really, son? I played in XXX year. Let me tell you a story about the first game that season..”
And so the legacy continues. It’s all just so unfair. I mean it’s great for the guys from these schools who don’t really make it academically – they can still get a job. But it’s unfair at the same time – how can you just walk in to a job because you’re fro m XXX school? In Sri Lanka, apparently you can.
And I hate to pull this out again, but this is precisely why I oppose private universities. If they do open, this same culture will make it’s way in to higher education as well. So far, we’ve kept it out, letting only the deserving make it to Uni in Sri Lanka. But if Higher Education becomes another social club.. Sigh.. I don’t really need to explain this, do I?
Mahangu, you think the discrimination doesn’t exist now, I take it. Are you serious ? Go into a software company, any in SL and you’ll find a crowd which says “we came up the hard way, via the state campus”. Everyone else is an inferior mortal and just “bought” their degree, if you ask them. I don’t say this applies to all, in fact, it’s probably just a minority … but sometimes they shout louder than the quieter majority.
I know for a fact that the same mindset persists to this day. And why do you think there is an Ivy League and a “you must do your MBA from Harvard” culture in the States ? It pretty much exists everywhere. Everyone is a social climber if they can afford the entry fee.
Mahangu, your argument against private universities is a red herring. Royal College is not a private school but still people make use of the old-boys-network to get jobs when they graduate. So the old-boys-network is not a feature of just private educational institutions but also of public ones. For example, if you played for the football team at Ohio State Univ, which is a public univ, not only do car dealers give you a “good deal” (i.e. gratis), you get gratuitous sex and land a cushy job for life even if your IQ hovers in the 70s.
The key is that anyone with the right qualifications can attend a private university regardless of their socioeconomic background. I can’t see any reason why we can’t have the government and the banks provide soft-loans/grants to qualified students from lower socioecomic strata. The credibility of a private university’s degree and quality will be seriously eroded if they admitted students purely on their ability to pay. Attending Harvards, Stanfords and Penn would be less valuable if they admitted students based on their ability to pay. Which is not the case, and it shouldn’t be the case with private universities in Sri Lanka if and when they are allowed to function.
This is not a phenomena limited to sri-lanka it’s true everywhere in the world. It’s certainly the case in australia where middle-class ambitious yet somewhat insecure parents clamour to get their children into high-priced private schools. These schools clearly have an excellent record of getting students into uni but have an equally awful record of retaining them once they have entered uni. Here is the latest of many studies showing how private and selective school kids have trouble coping at uni. Left to your own devices it appears they don’t know what they want and can’t succeed on an equal footing.
Old school ties and connections still play a role in many of the board rooms, specially in sydney. Infact some of the biggest corporate scandals and failures involve “old boys”. I’ve come across many managers at work who just can’t stop talking about their children attending this or that private school (no different from SL, “grunt”) and of their kid’s friend’s famous mother or father. Call it cronyism, nepotism, anyism you still need to produce results and this is where most them seem to come unstuck in the medium to long term.
I know of a couple of guys in SL who played rugby for their school and walked into good jobs but found it hard to prove themselves/rise-up and ended going overseas (probably an excuse to save face). In fact I’ll bet a kottu if you look at those who qualified from Royal into uni you’ll find that a disproportionate number of them came from the mid-school scholarships.
Hey Indi, do these articles get published in the non-english newspapers or are they only accessible in the english media?
The article I exerpted was drafted by my parents, I think it’s being sent to Lanka Business Online. Which is a no, I guess. I think they eventually will get translated, but economics is kinda a dirty word here anyways.
Mahangu, Your response clearly illustrates how badly informed you are and how badly the younger generation of our country has been brainwashed by the JVP type propaganda.
I admit the existence of old boy networks, but do you seriously believe the directors or managers of any private company can recruit anyone they like? Please note, unlike in the public sector, in the private sector everybody is expected to meet a target and if anyone is so foolish to select his team from old boy networks, neglecting the skilled candidates, they are the ones who will suffer.
Unlike you, I sat in interview boards and I select my own team members. If I were to select people from my own college, without giving any weigtage to their skills and abilities, finally I only will be the loser! Do you think any director or manager can perform, by selecting a team of losers, just because they are from his own college? Ha! Ha! Shows your level of knowledge of business!!
And, I am sorry to say this but this is the reality. According to my experience those who come with degrees from foreign universities and with professional qualifications are far far ahead of those who come with degrees from state universities. Most of those who come with degrees from state universities are simply not employable. That is why they do not get jobs and not because of any old boy network, as you think.
May be they can’t, and may be you don’t Chanuka, but it does happen and I’ve seen it. I don’t want to say it shows your level of knowledge on how business is done around here, but your comment seems to point that way.
Somebody please employ me!
Again, I don’t think attacking Chanuka personally brings anybody closer to a point.
Connections are vital in any aspect of business, only rarely to the point of corruption. The question is do private companies hire unqualified candidates based solely on connections? That’s a pretty sure way to lose money and no private company can run that long on [rampant] corruption.
Well, seeing as the unemployment rate for grads 19-29 is 26% (compared to 4% for no school), I think he may have a point. Grads certainly have a sense of entitlement, but it seems that they don’t have the work skills (including English) that translate into employment. The goal seems to be Government Jobs, which makes the Uni system basically an entry into a life-long Welfare program.
One simple question is, how many University grads does your company employ, Prabath?
Sorry if my comment sucked.
I agree that recruitments to technical positions are almost always done on skills assessment. You don’t want an idiot to run the servers.
However, when it comes to managerial and administrative positions (such as, say, “Trainee Executive” or “Management Trainee”), being from the right school gives you a pretty good chance of landing the job.
My company is too small to be counted in this equation.
Aaaah, for the love of God I’m not saying your comment sucked. As long as you’re not trying to sell me [words the Spam filter strips out] it’s a good comment. I’ll argue for Chanuka, but feel free to argue against.
Dude, how many? I know that your company is also an excempt ’cause it doesn’t suck, but that’s the point. I’m pretty sure your company doesn’t hire many (any?) Uni grads, and most of the competent companies that I know don’t. That’s what Chanuka was saying.
Perhaps the point to take is that given all things being equal or nearly equal, people prefer a prospective candidate with whom they can make a connection as opposed to someone whom they feel cannot “fit into the team”. That piece in quotes is almost a word for word assessment/justification I’ve heard a few times for hiring someone. That connection could well be a school connection.
In my experience, it seems to apply significantly to entry level positions, where expectations of skill set and experience aren’t such a huge factor. If someone had to pick between 2 programmers, both fresh out of school, is it so impossible that their school might be a factor in deciding between them ? It happens. The more senior the position, the less influence your school ties seem to have.. At least, this is what I’ve noticed.
As for the question that you asked, Indi.. figures are rough estimates only.
I’m calling it the way I see it and there isn’t a huge difference between CS graduates from Katubedda, Colombo and people who went to private institutions for CS. I can’t speak for Peradeniya. At a rough estimate, my former place of work is at least 70% staffed by graduates from state universities. This is in a development team of around 100 to 150.
I know the rough numbers for a few other places (all tech) and the numbers are uniformly over 50%. I don’t want to give the names of the places in a public forum though, so mail me if you really want to know the names.
When recruiting a new person, most of the private sector organisations look for the so-called 3Rs; Resume, Reputation and Relationships. One can argue that the relationships (business and private) of a person are not important and they should concentrate only on the first two but in a practical world it does not work. All private companies (unlike public sector organisations) have to make a profit and in that sense it needs people who can sell well, and as you can guess, more the relationships you have outside, more the sales you may be able to make.
I agree with Prabhath when he says at the entry-level positions (such as, say, “Trainee Executive” or “Management Trainee”), being from the right school gives you a pretty good chance of landing the job. The secret is not the old boy networks per se, but a student from a Colombo school usually has better relationships than someone from say, Horowpathana Maha Vidyalaya and a degree from a state university in Sinhala medium. So you cannot blame the managers for recruiting him/her.
This happens not only in Sri Lanka, but even in US and UK as well. A grad from Yale or Harvard might get preference over someone from a less known university. However, instead of blaming the system, one can adapt himself herself if he /she wants better opportunities in the job market. One trick is to focus on technical careers, where relationships matter less. (As someone correctly said nobody can recruit a Sys Admin based on school ties)
And, please note when I talk about graduates from the state universities, I talk in general and CSE students from Katubedda are a rare exception. (So are Business Administrative students from University of Sri Jayawardenapura and few more pockets like that) I do not need any more stats to prove the level of the state university graduates. Recently the government offered jobs for 40,000 graduates till then ‘unemployed’. In one year, all the state universities produce not more than 10,000 graduates. So even if we consider the conservative figure of 10 years, 40% of the state university graduates are unemployable. Do I need say more?
Finally, if director or manager of a private company (big or small) is so unprofessional to make a stupid remark like “Really, son? I played in XXX year. Let me tell you a story about the first game that season..” he is not going to survive for long in the private sector! Those type of Directors and Managers exist only in the hypothetical worlds of the JVPwallahs…It is sad that a person like Mahangu falls for that cheap propaganda.
Oh come on Chanuka, I have a dozen friends who’ve gotten jobs simply because they went to STC or RC, and because they speak English. I know I don’t have any concrete examples, but let me speak to some of them and get back to you.
And I don’t know what the JVP has to do with it. According to you everything that is wrong in this country is the fault of the JVP. I really don’t see how that makes sense. Now you may call me a JVPwallah or anything like that. But before you do that I suggest you go read some of the old stories on my blog and see what I think about the JVP.
Hey Chanuka, you’re from Ananda, you know how Ananda College and Nalanda College had a strangle hold on the Sri Lanka cricket team for almost a decade, and ruined anyone else who tried to get into the team. That’s the same way man.
It’s the same logic.
That reminds me of all the losers that go to FIU and expect to become something once they graduate. I’ve never see such a ghetto as FIU. They have an architectural program from which no architect will hire. We all agree that their students do not have the capacity, or have never been exposed to real architecture. If anything, they can be hired to render drawings or pickup lunch….but a full fledge architect will never come from FIU. Then they have a HUGE concentration of asshats wanting to become an accounant. That says a lot for the lack of intelligence down here in this swamp. Instead of having a decent scientific research and development program FIU focuses more on the service field of accounting.
I would safely say that 80% of their students aspire to become import/export specialists. What the FUCK is an import/export specialist? They’re so lame…oh, and don’t get me started on UM. If you want a real education you need to send your kids out of Florida. Also, the local private schools like Ransom and Bellen are a JOKE and a huge waste of money. Public schools in New Jersey offer more opportunities for learning than Miami ‘s pathetic private schools.
hi
what makes a school like stc, rc, trinity,ladies or bishops different? why do people want to recruit people from those schools even though they may not even passed the advanced levels?
my opinion is that its just because these students are given a holistic education, not just about books and sports but much more. this is what differentiates them from the rest.
its a shame that the authories in charge of education in the island failed to formulate a plan which gave a real education to children. most are just thought to learn about books and become bookworms even in their place of work. its due to this reason that top end people would prefer to employ students from the above schools who are known to be well rounded.
i dont think english is an issue, its just a mindset that people have. i ve worked as well and know for a fact that english is not an issue. so dont bring the topic of english up.
haha, thivanka dont make funny comments!
just an opinion……..(smile)
Ado, I think any company will employ an individual as long as they seem well rounded, just like Dilsiri said. But, the issue Indi seems to be talking about is early admission to private schools. The reason parents are probably so desperate to get them into these schools is because they’ve probably observed these people and think that going to this school will give their kid a shot at being something/someone like that.
Maybe govt schools should focus more on that kinda thing? I know there is a wee bit of an old boys network at Royal, with STC, it’s pretty much a given. I’m sure we all remember the “building fund” donation our parents make when we joined and the “swimming pool fund” donation we made, plus the “deposit” which is refundable once we graduate but have you ever tried asking College to give it back? They always say “it’s in a fund from which to get out will take a little time”, consequently, nobody bothers to redeem it.
I think people are right when they say the old boy network allows people from certain schools to get into entry level jobs easier, but it’s not just that in Sri Lanka, if you have a recommendation from the boss’s mate then that’s usually good enough. In any case, people hiring for skilled jobs on this basis will probably find their company in the dustbin soon, as someone else mentioned. With private schools one accepts that a lot does depend on who you know to get your kid in, but to do so with public schools, there’s really no excuse for that.
wow that painting is really pretty. check out richard gabriels paintings. you sister would certainly appreciate his paintings.