As a student I wrote this poem to illustrate my view about the pathetic situation in Sri lankan university system,it produces numb and dumb people to the society.I strongly belive university must be very erudite but bohemian place to think freely and work freely,but in my country entire university system has been stagnated by various poitical and social issues.At the moment our higher education is at stake,so it's up to the rulers to ammend this rotten education system,unless our country will be a pandemonium of selfish,uppish and numb prigs......!
Confession of coscience
After two years of cramming
We entered to the university
To reap the harvest
Of knowledge........
"UNIVERSITY"
The name is solemn
With fame and magnanimous
Ah.....I think it is a place like a school
No,No.....You fool ...It's not a school
But a tool to rule others
To trample others
To contempt them
In the name of higher education.......
We fought like insane beasts
To slake the desire of UNIVERSITY
No compassion in
The game of exams
Deceiving,conspiring,cheating,memorizing
At last vomiting the
Knowledge within two hours...
This is the pslam of
passing the exam........
REMEMBER....!
At UNIVERSITY
No more veracity
But ,
Intensity.......
Your intensity keep you alive
To be the best
Of the rest.......
Through heckling,fumbling
cramming and suffering
We approach to take
A piece of paper
Which epitomizes
The quantity of knowledge
Assessing by bitter exams............
Oh,exam.....exam...exam...
You are the "nemesis"
At last we will step into the society
As prigs
Without perfection
But with inanition............!
* WOW! 1st thing, I've bookmarked this poem! It's that good and important as a poem. And what a mind you have. Yes, it's a beautiful and very intelligent mind that is aspiring to higher things and I'm quite sure you'll reach your goals. Nothing can keep the keen mind confined. * I'm in full agreement wit ha lot of the things your other visitors have said about you and your ideas and education. * By the way, you must not call me Sir. Just call me Raj, please. 1st thing is that as people writing poems, we must never any sense of hierarchy at least between us poetfreaks here at poetfreak. That's why I object to putting up their titles like "DR" or "Phd", etc... The very act of abandoning hierarchy actually liberates the mind. Try it - for every individual is worth any other person. (But of course, be careful in certain situations as in real life in different cultures) But no Sir for me! (Are you calling me old? he, he, he...Oh, is that it?!) A great poem, Punsara.
You write with much passion and purpose Punsara and can totally understand your viewpoint. Some students come out with a University Degree, but feeling they have not learnt enough to warrant the Degree and only work experience in that particular area can give them the total concept of what is required. Because you feel you are being stifled, you need to think out of the square, and as Patrick says get the knowledge and qualifications required to broaden your knowledge. It is even possible perhaps to study part time and do work experience in the area you are studying. Really enjoyed your poem Punsara and thanks for sharing.
Sounds like the situation depicted in Pink Floyd's song "Another Brick in the Wall". Sadly, I don't think this predicament is unique to Sri Lanka. From what I have seen, most institutions of higher learning care more about teaching facts than teaching young people how to think for themselves. An old teacher of mine once told me that the greatest educational experience of his long life came not from any university, but from a well stocked book shelf. That said, you seem to be an intelligent young man who has written an excellent poem. I urge you to get as much as you can from the limited opportunities afforded to you by whatever university you attend, but don't let it end there. Do whatever you can to educate yourself outside of the class room. Read, write, think. Good Luck
Dear young friend, there is great passion and power in your poem. True education ought to and will only come from the "School of Life". That school consists more of practical classes than theory classes. The University that you talk about is a reflection of the degradation that has set in the education system of many a place/country. Coming out with flying colours from its corridors is necessary to secure a comfortable niche in the materialistic world of employment. If the system has some flaws its for those who face it to do the necessary corrections in a proper way. Wish you a very happy and successful career, both as a poet and as whatever you wish to be.
ha haaa, yes dude, you said it will indeed!! lol .. But you must know, like Jhon said, not all universities are like that, it is just this obsolete and stagnant Sri Lankan education system which turn us in to "prigs without perfection". Having said that it is for free and I dont think that any other country offers university degrees for free and that is something we should be grateful for, now that you are an undergraduate yourself, you should work towards to bring out a better system that will produce great individuals who will spur this country forward!! good one Puna!! your passion and your use of grand eloquent language shines through this poem. Nice