The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) held a historic convention at the Western Province Aesthetic Centre on 17 August 2012 on the current status and future directions of State Education in Sri Lanka or “free education” as it is popularly known. The convention was attended by representatives of over 50 national trade unions and civil society organizations who collectively pledged to safeguard State Education. We reproduce below the text of the preamble and the collective pledge along with a list of trade unions and civil society organizations which participated in this event.
PLEDGE TO PROTECT STATE EDUCATION
The idea of Education is central to the continuation and preservation of human society, materially as well as culturally. Education enables and sustains civilisations and promotes humanism and is a fundamental pillar of human rights, democracy, sustainable development and peace, and should become accessible to all (World Declaration on Higher Education for the 21st Century, 1998).
In Sri Lanka, public sector education or ‘free education’ as it is commonly known, is a fundamental feature of our society, a core value on which the modern Sri Lankan identity has been built. The philosophy that drove Sri Lanka’s education policy and state investment in education centred on the potential of education for addressing social inequality. Many of our achievements as a nation, for which we have won acclaim globally rests on the opportunities provided through public sector education. Over the past six decades, it has been the avenue by which the masses sought and achieved upward social mobility. More importantly, it was pivotal in bringing about a post-independence renaissance in the fields of learning, science, art and culture.
However, since the early 1980s, the notion of education has been slowly changing. Both the goals and outcomes of education are becoming primarily market-driven. The financial burden of education is slowly shifting from the state to individual students and their families and the objectives of education are becoming narrowly defined in terms of ’employability’ or instrumental market needs. This has come at high cost: both in terms of financial burden for families as well as declining standards in state funded education at primary, secondary and tertiary levels. This shift has resulted in a diminishing appreciation of the social worth of education as well as the social responsibility to ensure education for all. The declining standards in education have also been accompanied by increasing political interference in the administration as well as academic aspects, such as curriculum design, recruitment, etc. of the education sector.
Therefore, as representatives of trade unions, professional bodies and civil society movements, we, the undersigned collectively resolve to:
- Work towards restoring the value of education as fulfilling a larger public good
- Lobby the government to recognise the importance of protecting and enhancing state funded education
- Work collaboratively to restore public confidence in the state education sector
- Advocate for the government to honour its commitments to enhance funding for education to reach at least 6% of GDP which is the minimum UNESCO benchmark for state support for education
- Resist and challenge political interference with the management of educational institutions
Federation of University Teachers’ Associations
Ceylon Teachers Service Union
Ceylon Teachers Union
Independent Ceylon Teachers Union
Sri Lanka National Teachers Union
Ceylon Pragathi Teachers Union
Education Professionals Union
General Teaching Professionals Union
Ceylon Piriven Teachers Union
Moratuwa University Workers Union
Inter University Students Federation
Arts Faculty Students Union, Colombo University
School Non-educational Services Union
Food, Drink and Tobacco Industry Union
Federation of Ceylon Trade Unions
Muslim Women’s Research and Action Forum
Law and Society Trust
Young Researchers’ Collective
Medical Faculty Student Action Committee
Sri Lanka Federal Health Services Union
Free March Organization
Free Trade Zone and General Services Workers Union
All Ceylon Nurses Union
Inter-company Workers Union
Kantha Shakthi Organizaiton
Equal Ground
Women and Media Collective
Federation of Media Workers Unions
All Ceylon State Management Support Staff Union
Telephone Operators Union
Ceylon Mercantile Union
United Workers Federation
Employed Graduates Union
Inland Revenue General Workers Union
Sri Lanka Railway General Workers Union
National Intellectual Professionals Collective
Sri Lanka Port General Workers Union
All Ceylon Transport Workers Union
Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya
Ports Authority Workers Union
All Ceylon Railway Workers Union
Telecom Engineering Diploma Holders Union
Professor Senaka Bibile Memorial Organization
Sri Lanka Public Health Inspectors Union
Alliance of Health Workers Unions
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Nirmal Dewasiri
President
Federation of University Teachers’ Associations
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