Comment - Knowledge business, a new line of thinking

The Information and Communication Technology Agency (ICTA) last week unveiled a comprehensive strategy for the Sri Lankan IT/BPO industry. There is no special value for this strategy in the Sri Lankan context, because we are champions in launching strategies, policies, action plans and rosy proposals.

In some cases there are a number of national policies for the same purpose that were formulated spending millions of rupees.

In this background, we doubt whether the IT/BPO strategy will see the light of day. In the document, the short term initiatives proposed are launching a nation-wide awareness campaign for IT/BPO careers, make advanced ICT education affordable, accelerate ICT teaching capacity development, encourage investment in education, initiate a short term accelerated capacity program and initiate a single industry backed standard English competency program.

As long term initiatives it proposes to provide basic IT literacy for all, English for all and develop an eco system of innovation.

All these are massive tasks and to achieve results all stakeholders should make a tremendous effort. It also needs a massive investment. However, from the inception of formulating this strategy there are positive trends in the process.

All stakeholders in the industry are involved in developing the strategy. They have correctly measured the plus and minus points the country has in the industry and studied all possible models.

Similarly the private sector has come with their experience in the industry. However, in the implementation the Government has a massive role to play, especially in changing the country's education to facilitate the manpower requirement of the industry.

Therefore we doubt when it comes to achieving the targets set out in the IT/BPO national strategy, because how do we expect such a big commitment from our education authorities that failed miserably even in formulating a grade 1 school admission procedure.

With all these negative views, we have strong confidence that this knowledge business would change the destiny of this nation within a short period of time.

This industry would not directly affect all the citizens of the country. It is true that at the beginning the industry was limited to a few elite but now the situation has changed drastically.

English education and fluency in English is extremely important in this industry. Especially the BPO business such as call centres need these skills. However, this knowledge business has created new private companies that think differently and put the talents of our graduates above their English fluency.

Almost all private sector companies in Sri Lanka, in the past and at present, underestimate the talents of educated people. This is how thousands of special degree holders who follow a four-year accounting course are unemployed in this country. Most of our leading private sector companies consider English, the school attended and social status of the recruits.

Today the IT industry has changed this scenario. For the first time we heard this change from a foreign company. Vice President, South Asia IFS Jayantha De Silva had said that he does not consider the English knowledge of IT professionals he recruits to his company.

He conducts the interviews and training programs in Sinhala as well. His argument is that learning English is not an issue for a graduate who holds a degree, because they are really talented.

This Swedish software giant today has its largest R&D base in Sri Lanka and provides software solutions for world leading companies such as Lockheed Martin and Toyota. Without fluency in English (at the beginning) they provided software solutions for even F 35 fighter jets of the Lockheed Martin.

Eurocenter DDC's CEO Mano Sekaram also witnessed this and he has also put the talents of the graduates above their English fluency. He proudly says that 85% of his talent pool are rural youth who came from "Maha Vidyala."

The Eurocenter DDC is also a highly successful IT company exporting its products to European countries. Sekaram, also the chairman of the Software Exporters' Association says, after a few months on the work training and experience including exposure to foreign countries these graduates easily overcome the English barrier.

As CEO of the WNS Group Neeraj Bhargava said at the ICTA, capacity building summit Sri Lanka has tremendous potential to develop the IT/BPO industry.

He advocated focusing on developing the education sector rather than trying to attract individual clients. If the country has a very high quality pool of English-speaking graduates that is the attraction of investors, because the country has already made a name internationally as having a talented and productive workforce.

No doubt learning English is a must. The nation has recognised this and most of our students spend more time and money to learn English. But the issue is the English education in the country. Finally the main responsibility of implementing the IT/BPO strategy has been thrust on the Government.

Already we invest around 3% of the GDP on education. To change the situation we have to spend this money more productively. The most unfortunate news is that productivity education is diminishing and the failure rates at the GCE O/L examination last year gives a shocking message.