However, Sri Lanka is yet to be done away with that mindset that continues to tell our children and parents that certain professions are noble and certain professions are not, and that examinations and formal education is the only thing that can help build a prosperous future. Out of 301,771 candidates who sat for the examination, only 194,297 had qualified to apply for university entrance. In a country like Sri Lanka that believes that formal education is the only proper education and that education is what decides every aspect of a person’s future, it is not at all unusual to see people putting every possible effort to pass an exam and fighting over exam results. This is why Sri Lanka thinks a doctor or an engineer are respectable merely because of their profession and a garbage collector does not deserve any respect whatsoever despite their contribution to the society. However, that is not to say that this situation is stemming solely from social and traditional norms Sri Lanka upholds that values one profession over another despite their contribution to the country; this is also a result of the country’s education system that is developing and evolving at a snail’s pace.

Source: The Nation May 05, 2021 22:18 UTC