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An even playing field in education

Our picture a few days back showing President Kumaratunga tenderly handing over a Savings Pass Book with an initial deposit of Rs. 5,000 and a till to a young schoolboy successful at the Year 5 scholarship examination from Ampara, spoke very much louder than words. The President was a picture of sharing and caring and we had ample proof that she has a special place in her heart for the children of Sri Lanka.

We wouldn't be wrong if we surmise that it is this special affection for children that prompted the President to personally handle the Education portfolio. This instinct of caring knows no bounds because the President has - among other things - launched a project to ensure a degree of financial and material relief for secondary students from what are considered difficult areas.

The boy seen receiving his boon from the President in our recent picture, was a recipient of such relief which is this year covering the Ampara district. The assistance provided is aimed at bridging the gap between students of means and those who lack such clout. In other words, the President's endeavour is to create a level playing field in primary and secondary education.

This prompted the President to say at the recent ceremony that every child has the right to access an education of the same quality and standard. In other words, equality in education is an ideal the Government is striving towards.

Whether they hail from North, South, East or West, every child in Sri Lanka enjoys the right to a substantial education. This is a fundamental right and an inalienable one and we are glad that no less a person than the President is upholding it.

The importance of the equality principle should be driven home to all sections of the public on account of the fact that some labour under the delusion that they are "more equal" than others.

Moreover, if every child is to access a sound education they need to operate from an even playing field. Gross inequalities and imbalances among social classes and groups in regard to wealth and material means coupled with inequalities in educational resources and facilities among regions and urban and rural areas, conspire to deprive most children of a quality education.

This accounts for the wild scramble for the so-called big schools. This makes the President's project of constructing two National Schools in each district, very significant. Our wish is that this project would be completed as early as possible.

The scheme would certainly contribute towards an even playing field in education.

Net gain for libraries

The Internet has revolutionised the way we work and live. Most of us check the e-mail inbox first thing in the morning. We read our favourite newspapers on the Web, book air tickets, order goods and search for information on various topics. It has literally placed the whole world at our fingertips.

Yet, it would be wrong to assume that the entire body of knowledge accumulated by Man over the centuries is available on the World Wide Web. Far from it. Only a minuscule proportion of that vast knowledge base can be recalled with a mouse click. But according to the latest reports, the brains behind the rapid expansion of the Net are working on it.

The idea, as espoused by Internet search engines such as Google, sounds very simple on paper: replicate the printed books contained in the world's greatest libraries in digital form and make it available to anyone anywhere in the world with an Internet connection.

Searching for a book available only at the Bodleian in Oxford ? You will no longer have to go to Oxford in person to read it. Fancy reading an obscure volume found only at the New York Public Library ? Head for the computer, not the airport. Planning to do research at the famed libraries of Michigan, Stanford and Harvard ? Stretch on your computer chair with a long drink and teleport yourself.

But putting it all together will not be so easy. Google hopes to spend more than US$ 150 million just to scan the printed volumes and convert them to Web pages. With Google's partner libraries having well over 15 million books among them, this laborious process will take at least a decade.

Google and its partners will have to address a plethora of other issues as well. Copyright concerns are likely to crop up, at least in the case of books published in the last few decades. In any case, can they prevent personal or commercial users from 'printing' a given book gleaned from this online resource and distributing it ? Should Google charge a fee from users ? Will the interface they are developing now be obsolete in a decade ?

The librarians and technical experts involved in this mammoth project must ponder these issues. On the plus side, no book will be out of print once the project comes online.

Will Google's project make conventional libraries obsolete ? This scenario is highly unlikely - holding an original Gutenberg edition in your hands will still remain a unique experience. The feel, the smell, the look of a real book cannot be duplicated on screen. Nevertheless, Google and the libraries deserve our plaudits for their noble initiative.

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