Young and the Bright Should Lead Sri Lanka!
By Laksiri Fernando -September 10, 2012
Dr Laksiri Fernando
“Intellectuals are in a position to expose the lies of governments, to analyze actions according to their causes and motives and often hidden intentions.” – Noam Chomsky
It was quite reassuring to see positive comments with equally valuable suggestions from over a dozen of people to my last article on the “Need for Peaceful Regime Change.” Of course I have got nasty and hostile comments as well. Among the positives, many emphasized the FUTA example and called for the young to take the lead. Whoever she is, one Sunila Mendis summarised the sentiments of many commentators as follows:
“We failed in nation building from the very outset and launched divisional politics hiding behind a facade of patriotism. Religion and ethnicity were used to propagate heroism and patriotism. As someone has commented we have overused the senior politicians. We have to go in search of shiny new leaders from the younger generation where there will be plenty.”
Yes, there will be plenty of ‘shiny new leaders from the younger generation.’ I first wish to reflect on some local experiences and then relate my main theme from Chomsky about the ‘role of intellectuals’ again with some overseas experiences to break away from the usual monotonous writing. I beg your pardon however from those who are ‘allergic’ to first person narratives which might give an appearance of self-indulgence!
Education for Whom and for What?
( September 10, 2012, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) Noam Chomsky, a world-renowned linguist, intellectual and political activist, spoke at the University of Arizona. His lecture, Education: For Whom and For What? featured a talk on the state of higher education, followed by a question-and-answer session.
Chomsky has been concerned with a range of education-related issues in recent years:
- How do we characterize the contemporary state of the American education system?
- What happens to the quality of education when public universities become more privatized?
- Are public universities in danger of being converted into facilities that produce graduates-as-commodities for the job market?
- What is the role of activism in education?
With unprecedented tuition increases and budget struggles occurring across American campuses, these are questions that are more relevant than ever.
