The status of teachers in Sri Lanka a comparative study of urban rural differences

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.