Abstract:
O'f a l l the f- -tors which influence the quality of education and i ts
contribution to national development, the quality, competence and
character of teachers a^e undoubtedly the most s i g n i f i c a n t . Nothing
is more important than securing a sufficient supply of high quality
recruits to the teaching profession providing them ith the best
possible preparation and creating satisfactory conditions of work in
which they are f u l l y effective. It is nece~sary that teachers a~e
properly motivated. One main reason for lack of motivation on the
part of te- chers is said to be the teacher's own evaluation of his
•station in n i f e ' , i . e . his social and professional status.
The chief aim of the writer is to highlight the importance of this
and thereby draw attention to the problem of improving teacher status.
Chapter I discusses the relevance of this problem to the researcher
in Sri Lank a.
The status of teachers in ancient Sri Lanka is surveyed by a review
of l i t rature in Chapter I I . It i s , also, shown how the role of the
teacher changed gradually with the impact of the West and how this
affected teacher status. ^
The motives which prompted the selection of this topic and the
general plan of the research are described in Chapter I I I , while
Chapter IV includes the analysis of the results. In Chepter V conclusio
are drawn from the findings of the survey and suggestions for further
research in this f i e ld a e made.
