Universities have leading role to play:

The drive towards knowledge economy

by Prof. Kshanika HIRIMBUREGAMA

Human resource development by facilitating the transfer of “knowledge” for practical use is the basis of higher education. The knowledge gained through education gives strength to a person and the society, to face the globalised challenges of the modern world with confidence. Correctly guided higher education in any discipline will promote deep analytical thinking, positive attitudes and gathering of information for problem solving and finally produces a person who can make a positive change in the society. Therefore, the education one achieves is for the person’s benefit, society’s benefit, and finally for the benefit of the country.

You could be very happy that you have climbed the first step in the ladder. Your hard-earned degree is the foundation for the beginning of skills and competency development, and the beginning of your learning career. You have laid a foundation - a strong foundation from a well-reputed university.

There are many more who would have loved to be with you in the university and be present with you here today, but have not got the opportunity. It is your responsibility that your colleagues who could not pursue higher studies are also given benefits through your education. Make sure, you serve them as well. When employed, do effective, efficient, honest and genuine work. The mind would then be free for innovations and creations as it is devoid of ill-thinking.

Education should also bring qualities such as patience, tolerance, mind control, sympathy and compassion to others. Do not go behind monetary benefits. Your mind will never be at ease.

Life is millions of chemical reactions to a chemist and biological molecules to a biologist. A failure in a few reactions would result in illnesses such as diabetes and hypertension. Mind controls many of these reactions through regulating the tension, etc. Therefore, mind regulation is required to be developed through education.

Learning is lifelong. We learn until death. Innovations, new technology and information gathering give us satisfaction. This is an intellectual character. A country needs to produce educated intellectuals for its national development. Competition is necessary for development, to improve the quality of life. Competition should be considered as a challenge in a positive manner rather than a headache that could bring stress to life.Nothing is stressful, if you take it as another meal. We take delicious meals and not so delicious ones, depending on the accessibility.Competition is also the same. Therefore, take it as a challenge.

My memories go back to my university, the University of Colombo, also my alma mater. It is the oldest university in Sri Lanka. It grew from the University of Ceylon that was established in 1942 under the colonial rulers. The oldest component, Ceylon Medical College, the second oldest medical school in South Asia, had been founded in 1870. The forerunner, the Ceylon University College, had been founded in 1921. The University of Colombo currently has seven Faculties (Medicine, Science, Law, Management and Finance, Arts, Education and Graduate Studies) managing 43 academic departments. The university also has one Campus for Mass Media and Performing Arts and an internationally reputed School of Computing (UCSC).

The University of Colombo has seven financially independent Institutes that specialise in different disciplines; Indigenous Medicine, Human Resource Development, Postgraduate Medicine, Molecular Biology, Library Sciences, and the latest in Agro-biotechnology.

Altogether, the University of Colombo has 10,000 undergraduates and about 25,000 other students in extension courses and postgraduate courses. It is important to highlight that the undergraduate education is totally public funded, while other courses are self-financed, but highly subsidised.

The university is in the process of developing a virtual campus to offer on-line courses where delivery will be multimode. All avenues will open up more opportunities for both Sri Lankans as well as the international community of all ages to pursue higher education and knowledge.

Knowledge economy

An economy of a country becomes a “Knowledge Economy” when the sustained use and creation of knowledge are at the centre of its national development process. The country could then use knowledge as the key engine for its economic growth where knowledge is acquired, created, disseminated, and used effectively to enhance national development, where “Human Resource Advancement” is a key factor.

Knowledge and innovation through competition have played a crucial role in development with the beginnings of human civilisation. With globalisation and the technological revolution of the last few decades, knowledge has clearly become the key driver of economic development and is now profoundly reshaping the patterns of the world’s economic growth.

Especially, developing countries should therefore think, with some urgency, about their future under a knowledge economy heading. If not, developing countries would not be able to face the challenges of globalised competitiveness.

The central role of knowledge and innovation in economic growth is widely acknowledged in developed countries, which are coping with new realities. The nations with well-managed economies have benefited quickly from the new opportunities, thereby moving towards a high growth rate and productivity performances. In Europe, small and dynamic economies such as Finland and Ireland have become models of Knowledge-based growth or “Knowledge Economy”.

The knowledge utilisation gap between developed and developing countries is growing even wider. It is very important to realise that developing countries must move rapidly to join the fast-moving global economies and the knowledge base that supports it.

It is noted that this knowledge economy is far away for many developing countries where formulation of appropriate policies for knowledge-based development has not been done.

The less conducive political and economic management environments are the main reasons. Developing countries need to move fast or will remain slow-moving poor economies against fast-moving rich economies that exploit new knowledge effectively through global market strategies.

Rapid advances in knowledge and the model of knowledge economy with the strong commitment and political will provide new potential for economic growth in countries like Sri Lanka and Nepal. The successful transition to a knowledge economy depends on the key contribution from organisations such as innovative companies and firms, universities, research centres, and other organisations involved in the knowledge revolution, that tap the growing stock of global knowledge, assimilate and adapt new knowledge to local needs.

A main pillar of the knowledge economy framework is an educated and skilled work force that is continuously being upgraded. This knowledge compatible work force is known as “knowledge workers”.

Knowledge organisations

The role of universities as knowledge organisations, as knowledge creation centres, is extremely important in guiding the nation towards a knowledge economy. Universities continuously need to produce skilled knowledge workers through human resource advancement to sustain the knowledge economy.

The second important pillar is access to modern and adequate information infrastructure. Latest information is essential to acquire the modern knowledge. The third pillar is economic incentives and institutional regime that provide a good economic policy, which lead to creativity and use of existing knowledge. This leadership through political will is the most important and significant requirement.

I would like to discuss a modern approach as a good example from my own experience, for the role of a university as an initiator and a leader for this transition to the knowledge economy while advancing human resource and a compatible management system.

We were involved in a biotechnology transfer to agriculture of the rural sector in Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan farmers of all age groups took up the tissue culture biotechnology for banana plants and modern banana cultivation practices.

The entire banana production process saw an eight to ten fold increase in farmer income, while having less risk and less work with easy marketing, compared to conventional crop cultivations. The demand for tissue cultured high quality banana plants rapidly increased.

The rural farming community showed keenness to take up novel technology and new knowledge, apply it, as the end result is increased income with less risk. Having observed this thrust for new knowledge, the university through its newly established Institute for Agrotechnology and Rural Sciences, located 250 km away from Colombo’s main university, introduced on-line Agro-biotechnology Certificate Courses to the farming community. Initially 60 such agriculturists in the age range 22 - 60 were selected to follow the courses. Many had not even touched a computer. But they all followed the on-line program very well and have already passed three courses.

Hidden capabilities

This is possible because of their hidden capability, enthusiasm, and hunger for knowledge and liking for higher education. The knowledge gained is immediately applied to their cultivation practices while becoming “knowledge farmers”.

It is also important to highlight that a sophisticated tissue culture laboratory was established at the same place with local resources, and it is entirely run by the rural community where the human resource thus developed were compatible with modern management practices essential for the modern technology.

This is the potential in developing countries that has to be harnessed through education, and universities have to play a key role. People like to learn more to gain knowledge to generate more income.

This proves that our countries have a very high potential for the knowledge economy through higher education.As you are well aware, Sri Lanka suffered nearly 30 years of war due to the world’s most ruthless terrorists who basically ruined the peaceful living of all Sri Lankans.

Thanks to the leadership of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the people of the nation now live in peace and harmony and have the hope of accelerated national and regional development after three decades of instability.

I address this august gathering, breathing with relief that my country is reunited after 30 years and all Sri Lankans could live happily with their families.

We Asians may not be rich by Western financial standards, but we do have a rich intellectual capacity and a culture and nature.

With the intellectual capacity with naturally selected genetics, and using our natural resources we could develop our countries and strengthen the economy of Asia.

We have our rich cultures and values, ancient technologies, natural flora and fauna. These combined with new knowledge gained through higher education could leave our countries to flourish in peace and harmony

(The above is the address made by Prof.Kshanika Hirimburegama,Vice-Chancellor, University of Colombo at the Convocation of the University of Kathmandu, Nepal recently.)