Of International Schools, Culture and Mithra Sree Karunanayake
Mithra Sree Karunanayake’s article on last week’s Sunday Divaina, attempts to explore one of the favorite topics of Sri Lanka’s neo-conservatives: Culture and International Schools .
Whilst most of the article is done in the typical International School bashing manner that one expects, Mithra makes a couple of valid points in his article.
He talks of the parents who work their heads off to earn enough cash to send their small ones to “good” international schools with the hope of providing them with a good education with a background in English, and how “cultural confusion” the kids go through due to the change in environments leaves the kids yearning for the pleasures of both ends, yet getting almost none.
He also speaks of how the “sense of unity and harmony” is lost in kids nowadays. This, I think is not a result of the international school culture, but is a result of the individualism that the modern generation face.
Can one blame the International Schools, and the related sub cultures for the “degradation” of the Sri Lankan culture? And since culture is a thing which is alive and evolving, isn’t this change of culture to be expected?
I’m not a huge fan of Mithra. One of his articles in which he discussed male commercial sex work, effeminate men and homosexuality didn’t go down well. And I strongly disagree with the points he makes there.
Loading...
You cant blame international schools for everything thats wrong with the younger generation. Thats absurd. But the fact that the concept of “international school” is now no more than a money making fiasco i agree with. You do have the legit, high standards proper private/international schools, and now you also get places which are nothing more that glorified tuition classes with the “international school” tag. Theres one such place a little down my road right in front of the government school my mom was at for 10 years out of 30 years as a primary school teacher. I think its disgusting, nauseating and immoral that some “people” think they can scrape off parents hard-earned money and not care about ruining a kids education and childhood in the process. In my opinion its these places that are the reason for all these horror stories that are being spawned. Seeing places like that I can understand how his “experiment” turned out the way it did.
Sri Lankan youth going off the rocker has nothing to with Intenational Schools itself in my book. Rather the result of decades of poor education and child policies, sudden rapid influx AND mis-integration and mis-guidance of western cultural items resulted in it. SL urban youth identity is really screwed up now. Plus war and an economy thats vanishing faster than Britneys underwear makes SL a dog-eat-dog world. When its every man for himself you cant expect a sense of unity and harmony
On Mithra personally; He’s got some talent with the words but hes too biased and opinionated to be a proper journo. But you have to remember his is the kind of voice the average Sri Lankan will listen to. The SL farmer in the village out in Polonnaruwa with the “wireless” will think Mithras coming on too strong but he’ll still listen to him. PBG and all of us are in a totally different culture altogether.
The problem here is not that culture is changing, or the fact that Sl is multi-cultural. The problem is that the cultures are not tolerant of each other. Each has its own views to believe and to express, and the right to believe and to express. What is happening, though it shouldnt, is noone is fulfilling the obligation that comes with that right – The obligation to let the other person believe and to express his/her views.
Dili - February 14, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Dili, I think both of our views meet at one point when you speak of mis-integration and and mis-guidance.As I believe Sri Lanka is facing something of a cultural confusion, when it comes to understanding which culture one wants to adopt. This is not helped by the fact that we have a growing neo-conservatism movement, and at the same time the the western ideal are slowly merging in with the existing culture. It’s basically likeing coming to a fork on the road, and not knowing where you want to go, and driving around on the pavement.
And good point about Sri Lanka not being tolerant of other cultures. I don’t think Sri Lanka is an integrated multi-cultural country like Australia. Sri Lanka is a country of many cultures and ethnicities living isolated from each other, where integration is minimal.
pinkboxinggloves - February 15, 2008 at 5:17 am
thank you for the comments and the space you have spent to talk about my articles.my email address is below
[Deleted]
mithra karunanayake - February 16, 2008 at 8:25 pm
I guess no one should blame the international schools or private schools for any cultural disaster. I believe that we don’t have a cultural disaster to complain about. As pinkboxinggloves states culture is a living entity. We should expect change.
By the way some of the international/private schools provide the best of education in the country. It is just that many aren’t exposed to it due to financial barriers or prejudice. It is weird that people don’t find the Sigiri frescoes provocative, but a short skirt of a girl from an international school…..cultural disaster!!!
Sachith - February 16, 2008 at 9:48 pm
we would like to hear more about international school culture and about pink boxing gloves activities.
please up date.
Adam Smith - March 4, 2008 at 9:13 am
what is cultre? i have noticed many of his articles on Divaina, he has referred to something called “Sri Lankan Culture”. He sometimes mentions that girls wearing these types of dresses is against Sri Lankan culture but some of other types are not so. In last article (5th Ded 2008), he has mentioned that female prison officers in the U.S play table tennis with prisoners wearing shorts and skinnies, which is NOT AGAINSR AMERICAN CUKTURE. I wonder what does that mean?? Then i suddenly got it right. This sick bastard thinks that he can determine excact amount of nudity allowed in various cultures and draw boundaries.
Mayb he’s the sole authority on this subject. Who knows?? Nowadays Sri Lanka is no longer governed by sound minded people but some idiotic politicians who appoint narrow mided bastards to those high posts ne. So this so called anthropoligist Mithra Sri can be soon appointed for a new post, dedicated to decide what dresses girls should be allowed to wear, to what extent couples should be allowed to show their affection in public places.. you can hug, but can’t kiss.. that type of regulations….
So Mithra, what i want to say to you is to freak off and get some sleep, so that re-booting of your brain does you good. Or mayb you could spend some time with your kidz. they will teach you in their simple ways that culture is rather a dynamic phenomenon and mixing of various cultures is inevitable in a globalized world.
Buddhika Thambugala - December 6, 2008 at 1:39 pm
And for the record, it’s a good thing our admin did, by deleting his email address from his comment. Otherwise….
Buddhika Thambugala - December 6, 2008 at 1:42 pm
and yet one thing , finally. This so-called Sri Lankan culture our beloved Mithra is gonna protect is not really Sri Lankan culture. It’s actually 19th Century English culture (so-called Victorian Culture). That’s the culture which barred women wearing short or rather convenient dresses, and barred homosexuality, not the ancient or mideaval Sri Lanka culture. I guess Sinhalese cultre before British was far more tolerant then this.
Soon after British laid down this Victorianism in Asia, it vanished from their country and other European countries due to fast industrialization, and a new culture – so called modern culture – emerged. But this modern culture and trendz took a lag period of about 30-40 years to come to Asia, and by the time it reached Sri Lanka, it was no longer in British control. So- ultra conservative minded Sinhgalese who mistook victorianism as Sinhala-Buddhist culture, opposed arrival of new western culture, and they are still opposing. But thankx to open economy, and free circulation of knowledge and news, THEY CANT STOP IT.
And what lacks in their minds is the concept of others’ freedom. they think they can effectively control it.
But why do they cry louder and louder? just because they are losing ground. Can he, or any similar idealist can effectively convince goverment to close International Schools?? or close tourist hotels?? Thank god, they can’t.
Buddhika Thambugala - December 6, 2008 at 2:20 pm
hey what happened to my comment, after your so called moderation? pls respond to my email address now, before fallaciously claiming that you believe in freedom of expression
Buddhika Thambugala - December 8, 2008 at 5:31 am
oh. sorry for the last one. is totally my fault. i didnt see my comments published. initially my page showed only 5 comments. i thought you had deleted mine. sorry guys. sorry again
Buddhika Thambugala - December 8, 2008 at 5:36 am