Peduru Richard from Ambalangoda created history few weeks back. He was born on the 18th of February 1924 and two weeks before he reached 87 years of age, he sat for the final examination of Dhamma School. When contacted by media he said he studied very hard for the exam and is expecting good results. The whole world appreciates his attitude and it's a classic example to prove there is no age barrier for learning.

But do you really think the same attitude is present among Sri Lankan youth for learning?

Specially the reading habit among youth is drastically coming down. A study done on newspaper readership in Sri Lanka shows there are only 29 copies of newspapers sold for 1000 people in Sri Lanka. For a country having more than 90% literacy rate we cant be happy about this. Further It's a great challenge for Newspaper companies to attract young readers for their newspapers and get them to READ.

It's true they are exposed to various other sources to get information. Internet may be the prime medium for youth who are Colombo centric. But youth are mainly using internet for entertainment and not for serious learning. That's why Facebook, Youtube and blogger are still leading sites in Sri Lankan according to Alexa.com web ratings. ( google is the undisputed number one ). Further elekiri.com is rated as the number one locally developed website according to the same study and none of these sites help for serious learning or are used in that sense.

Teenagers and children don't have patience in there nature, and if one dosn't have the interest for reading, then you can never make him read. But this will affect their progress. Check with any average teenager of their general knowledge you will be surprised. For sure

90% of youth will never name the correct president of any other country other than USA, thanks to Barak Obamas is excellent communication skills.

How can we change this?

I think teenagers tend to follow what they see at home. If parents have a habit of reading newspapers, constructive magazines, books, etc,they are more encouraged to read on their own. Not only this but it's rare to find parents who buy a book as the birthday gift for their child. First it's the responsibility of the parents to encourage them.

Can Sri Lankan youth wait till their parents teach them to read?

I think the new generation of Sri Lanka is far more advanced than that. They are competent enough to select what is good for them. They need to change their mindset and understand the value of learning and it's importance for your own growth. When the majority does not have reading habit to develop them you have a great chance to highlight yourself.

You should consider Sri Lanka still pays recognition to people who are knowledgeable and educated. But it's not only Mathematics and Science but you should know whats happening around. It will make you a complete man.

You should learn from Peduru Richard and change your mindset today. Never let anyone beat you in knowledge.

Making your future bright is your responsibility.