EDITORIAL : THE DAILY MIRROR, SRILANKA

Rights or responsibilities?

At a time the UN is reeling under various international problems, ironically some students here had called for a UN intervention against the alleged suppression of their ‘rights’ in Sri Lanka. One wonders if the Federation had grown to bigger proportions as such it deems an organization like the UN should intervene or if the UN has in been fact down sized by the students to their level!
In fact, it was none other than the Inter University Students Federation that has called for a UN intervention and as naïve as the student body could be. The IUSF handed over a letter addressed to the UN office Colombo calling for its intervention to stop the alleged harassments of students, early this (last) week. It also goes on to show that there is no educated and mature patron overseeing and guiding the Federation.
Worse is the fact the student grouping is known for their political affiliations here.
But the real problem lies elsewhere. Students and many workers in this country rarely realize the difference between responsibilities and their rights.
Whether immature and naïve students who are younger than 25 should involve in matters that decide a country’s destiny remains debatable anyway. On the other hand it shows how the free education system had miserably failed. The teachers and parents are equally responsible in educating or not educating the children the true meaning of the so called “Free Education.”
That is, in fact that their education is not free but is paid by the community and there is a cost involved in their education. And that cost is borne by the tax payers! This should be taught to children right from an early age. Today, it is sad that even undergraduates do not realize the fact that they are paid for by tax payers.
Perhaps the teachers (As well as the University Academics too) should realize the fact they are supported by the taxpayers! It is time for the dons to reflect upon if they were doing justice to the salary they get from the public in making “productive and employable citizens!” In an aside, the same applies to graduates of medical, engineering and science graduates in particular.
Mainly, the engineering and medical graduates should realize that the society had paid for them to become doctors or ‘engineers’ and that it was unethical and immoral for them to seek foreign employment and contribute to the advancement of another country. (Including private practice)
Paying back the “cost” as in bonds is a fallacy as whatever it is when a student goes through the university he/she had blocked a patriot’s seat. The time and effort spent is not recoverable.  Are we producing doctors/engineers and giving them away to advanced countries like the UK, US, Australia and Canada?
So, coming back to the topic, if the students know that their responsibility is to complete the studies and engage in productive contribution to society probably they would not come to the streets. The same applies to workers in general as well.  Many workers too resort to trade union action over issues over worker rights, without realizing if they had fulfilled their responsibilities!
The bottom line is that as a whole our society has failed to inculcate in many of us the fundamentals in a proper way for the country to forge ahead.