The Struggle

As people of the 21st century, technology, and simple access to get work done with efficiency has created our lives to perform smoothly by breaking barriers of time and location with the usage of the inventions of technology and electricity. Imagine if this cycle of functionality really breaks ? How terrible will things end up ? 

 Unfortunately for Sri Lanka, resultant power cuts across Sri Lanka are threatening to worsen the island nation’s continuous  economic crisis, sparking protests from citizens. Moreover, it’s been taking an enormous toll on the locals as their daily lives have been disturbed. 

Government-imposed power cuts that are occurring in the country since January – the worst power outages in over 25 years – have seriously affected students and lecturers at a time when many are relying on on-line education. Students, schoolers and undergraduates are the foremost affected of the lot. With the start of the COVID-19 pandemic back in 2020, students opted for online education as this prevents human interaction that may aid in spreading of the virus. However currently with the constant power failures island wide, the sole access to education was viciously taken away. The power crisis has forced students to study using homespun kerosene oil lamps and candlelight. The A/L examination is a crucial turning point within the lives of students, which it’s therefore the responsibility of the government to supply the mandatory facilities for them to face it successfully. It’s not only the power failures that have affected them, however additionally the shortage of paper, different materials and poor network connections have worsened the situation. 

As for the undergraduate students, many fail attempting to stay up with the relevant assignment deadlines and examinations whereas being unable to attend lectures because of power outages. As for lecturers, they were forced to suspend on-line classes and universities have delayed exams. Parents and teachers say that the power crisis, the coming prime of the pandemic, has affected students physically and mentally.

It’s indeed the entire responsibility of the government, to require necessary actions to supply the most effective solutions to the future way forward for the state in terms of their education. 

Written by : Rtr. Tiyashi Dharmasena