Universities should increase research
by Gamini WARUSHAMANE
Sri Lankan universities should research to increase our high tech
products’ share in exports as it is only around 1.5 percent of our total
exports, said Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake.
The minister was addressing the Sri Lanka Economic Summit 2011
organised by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce (CCC) in Colombo, last week.
Delivering the keynote address on ‘New Growth Opportunities - Higher
Education and Skills Development’ the minister said that the global
economic landscape has been changed over time and Sri Lanka’s main
exports such as tea and rubber hold a very small percentage of the
global trade. The value of the world tea trade is only $ 8 billion,
while figures for coconut and rubber are $ 20 and 25 billion.
On the other hand, the value of the world electronics industry is $
1,800 billion, while trade in products such as IT, telecommunication,
nano-technology, and bio-technology products generate $ 2,000, 2,500,
200 and 100 billion respectively.
Sri Lanka exports a large quantity of vital minerals that are used in
high tech industries in raw form and universities should focus on
research to add value to these products, he said.
Today, we need new high yield seeds, machinery for agriculture,
pharmaceuticals, marketing and administration systems. University
academics should research in these areas as there are ample
opportunities in these areas, he said.
The Minister said that human capital is the main resource and driving
force of an economy. Knowledge is the tool that humans use to achieve
diverse results and it is amassed and disseminated through education and
training.
Sri Lanka has been boasting of a high literacy rate akin to that of
developed countries for many decades at the basic levels.
But we have not succeeded in keeping that pace when it comes to
higher education, training and skills development, to meet the needs of
a knowledge economy.
Sri Lanka ranks 82nd out of 140 countries in the latest Knowledge
Economy Index (KEI) published by the World Bank which indicates the
extent we need to progress. University education in Sri Lanka is
dominated by the State and it is unable to meet the demand and the
quality required by the labour market.
In 2010, although 61 percent of the students who sat the Advanced
Level examination were eligible for admission to a university, only 17.2
percent gained admission due to capacity limitations.
Besides, with the upsurge in economic activity, many industry sectors
are encountering shortages in skilled manpower availability.
The government is in the process of opening the higher education
segment for private sector investment. This is expected to increase the
domestic capacity of university education.
The majority of graduates who pass out from our universities are not
happy as they cannot find employment. Why has this happened? A large
section of the cream of the students who have undergone a university
education cannot find employment unless they are employed by the
government. So, there is a clear issue of quality. There may be many
reasons for this. At times, students may be forced to study what is
available at the university, which does not in any way match the
requirements for gainful employment. To get out of this situation we
have to emulate other countries. The public sector alone cannot absorb
these graduates and we have to think of how to produce marketable
degrees.
The government alone cannot supply the increasing demand for higher
education and therefore the non-state sector should take part in the
provision of higher education.
Quoting Milton Freedman, the Minister said, “‘There’s no free lunch’
and taxpayers pay for the higher education provided by the government
free of charge.” The new Act of Higher Education is now ready to address
the issues prevailing in the higher education sector, he said.
”Our objective is to provide graduates with quality degrees that they
can market here and abroad. We will take every possible action to
improve the quality of the degrees and improve the skills of the
graduates. The Sri Lanka Qualification Framework and the Sri Lanka
Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council will be established from
next year to monitor quality aspects of all higher education
institutions and their degrees. Since the corporate private sector is
the ultimate employer of these graduates we need your support,” the
Minister said.
We have taken steps to change attitudes, and improve their soft and
leadership skills. A wrong perception was created on the leadership
training program begun for university students. The first batch of
students had doubts over the program but now they are happy with the
program.
Another three months training program will begin for university
entrants to improve their IT skills, English knowledge and other soft
skills.
Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa Prof. Malik Ranasinghe
delivered a lecture on ‘Challenges and Opportunities in University
Education’.
He said that the university administration, governed by Act No.16 of
1978, is obsolete and does not match present needs. Students are
selected by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The State pays for the cost of the education and over 30 percent of
the students get government financial support through Mahapola
Scholarships.
The anticipatated outcomes are equal opportunities, students’ choice,
a useful education and a marketable degree. Unfortunately none of these
outcomes is met today.
Opportunities are not equal in the education sector because
facilities in all schools are not equal. There are 9,700 schools in the
country and of them only 2450 schools have A/L classes. There are only
670 schools with A/L science classes. Of them only 175 schools have so
far sent students to medical faculties and only 206 schools have sent
students to engineering faculties.
Students do not have a choice in selecting subject streams and the
selection is done by the UGC with only a few students obtaining high
marks having a choice in selecting subject streams. Out of the students
who enter universities 53 percent follow arts subjects, 25 percent
commerce while 22 percent follow science stream subjects.
The usefulness criteria is also not met. Employers seek academically
sound, technically competent graduates with soft skills who are flexible
team players. Since graduates who pass out from our universities lack in
these areas they are not marketable.
To produce marketable graduates the private sector should closely
work with universities and help in their training. This interaction is
now in IT education in the universities. It should expand to other
sectors as well. There are ample student based research and development
and consultancy based opportunities in universities.
The investment opportunities in Sri lanka in the higher education
sector is long term. Within the next five years nothing will change in
State universities. Therefore, private sector support to make the
provision of university education competitive and produce employable
graduates must take top priority.
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