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| Sunday, 19 December 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Whither university education in Sri Lanka? This was the sixth Professor Sivapathasunderam Mageswaran memorial Lecture delivered by his batchmate and colleague Professor J.N. Oleap Fernando at the Mageswaran Block of the Department of Chemistry of the University of Jaffna, recently, under the chairmanship of Professor S. Mohanadas, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Jaffna. by Prof. Oleap Fernando Many problems awaiting solutions in all spheres of life in Sri Lanka have been increasingly affecting the activities of our state financed university system during the past several years. Regrettably it appears that acute problems in the system are becoming even more acute and the solutions appear to be getting further and further away.
There is also an ADB sponsored Distance Education Modernisation Project which is intended to improve the quality and access of Distance Education including the Open University of Sri Lanka. While these two projects are intended to, expected to and bound to make considerable improvements to the state of undergraduate and postgraduate education in Sri Lanka, I doubt whether at the end of the five year project Sri Lanka would achieve even an appreciable fraction of the desired outcome. Why am I compelled to have such pessimistic expectations? Politicisation The first and primary reason for my doubt is the increasing politicisation of our university system. We have even reached a situation in which the once exalted high position of Vice-Chancellor had been debased, politicised and made a puppet of the relevant political authorities, that it is becoming increasingly difficult to even find three suitable applicants for such posts in many of our Universities. In this connection I wish to refer to the public perception regarding this matter through an Editorial comment in a national newspaper on November 11, in which the Editorial congratulated one Dr. Indira Samarasekera, a Sri Lankan engineering graduate, on her appointment as President of the well renown Alberta University in Edmonton, Canada and referred to it as a remarkable achievement of a Sri Lankan. The editorial went on to say the following: "Dr. Samarasekera has been chosen as President of the Alberta University on her own academic merits. But had she applied for a post of Vice-Chancellor in one of our Universities she would have needed one more qualification: She would either have to be SLFP, UNP or JVP. Little wonder we remain in the same mire". Should not our Vice-Chancellors hang their heads in shame in reading this type of comment even in a national newspaper? It is indeed a sad but true reality that the post of Vice-Chancellor has been so policised and cast into absolute ridicule by our political authorities. I talked about this matter of politicisation of our Universities during my address to the Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science in November 2001 and expressed my honest feeling that it we increasingly go along the way we have been doing over the past years and allow politics to dominate, then very soon state sponsored university education in Sri Lanka, particularly of the non fee levying type, might wither in Sri Lanka. I indicated on that occasion that current university reforms will remain effectively a theoretical exercise in the presence of politicisation and a gross lack of all types of resources.Three years later and after 38 years of continuous service to Sri Lanka's university system, I have much regret not only to record that my apprehensions and doubts are much greater today, but that I am now also of the opinion that fee levying state sponsored university education as typified in the Open University of Sri Lanka might also wither away due to similar and other reasons. We at the Open University have got so demotivated over several matters in recent times that many of our University academics are seriously questioning as to what is there for our Open University to celebrate during its proposed Silver Jubilee Anniversary Celebration next year. For the first time in our University history, our University is officially referred to as bankrupt. Leave alone other recurrent expenses, the Treasury is reportedly now not prepared to meet the full salary bill of our permanent staff as it has been doing over the past 25 years. The Vice Chancellor had to go last week and plead with the treasury for Rs. 20 million to pay the November salaries, since the Bursar had failed to get the treasury to respond positively. What a tragic situation for a state financed distance study University?. Furthermore, within our University set-up, if I take the B.Sc. Degree Programme of our Open University as a typical example, the number of B.Sc. Graduates passing out annually has sadly decreased over the past few years in contrast to the pattern that existed earlier upto 2000. Internal problems caused by trade union action by various grades of staff have postponed the commencement of our academic year from October, a few years ago, to March of the following year. This type of delay is unprecedented for the Open University of Sri Lanka. For the first time in the history of our 60 year old University system, Vice-Chancellors of Universities are being removed from office even a few months after their appointment. Many more have been and are being investigated and their official actions have been subjected to Commissions of Inquiry. The respect for Vice-Chancellors is very low. Members of University Councils are being requested to resign consequent to the results of general elections. Expansion Unfortunately our state financed universities are under constant political pressure to expand though effective government funding is shrinking. It is very sad and disappointing to note that the Government has proliferated and continues to proliferate half baked, quarter cream universities throughout Sri Lanka without any consideration for resources, facilities and needs. To make matters really disastrous the South Eastern University was established in the late nineties at a distant outpost called Oluvil in order to cater to sectarian ethnic interests. We are all aware how former Affiliated University Colleges which were established for the specific purpose of providing much needed middle level education and training, were overnight converted to fully fledged universities without any planning whatsoever. The absence of staff even in the existing universities is of no relevance or concern to our political masters when they decide to establish new universities. Academics The Wayamba University of Sri Lanka, for example was declared open during the Provincial Council election campaign in 1999. Is it not comical to note that almost 25 years after it was established, the Eastern University of Sri Lanka at Batticaloa does not have a single Professor in any of the science disciplines. There are only a few academics even at senior lecturer level. The Chemistry Departments at the Eastern as well as South Eastern Universities do not even have a single Chemistry senior lecturer even to be appointed as Heads of Departments. Whom are we trying to fool? What is the quality of the B.Sc. graduates passing out? I hope you are aware that the Eastern University produced two batches of three Chemistry Special Graduates each in the late nineties by housing them in a rented building in Colombo and having the entire course of the two year Special Chemistry lecture programme delivered over a period of 3-4 months by visiting University academics at the premises of the Open University and the Sri Jayawardenepura Universities respectively. Has the UGC or anyone else in authority ever bothered to find out the quality of graduates produced by these universities under such appalling circumstances and conditions? I have to report and record that the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon has not recognised the Eastern University Special Degree in Chemistry for admission to its membership since we find that the quality of the graduates are below required expectations. Even the third year B.Sc. degree awarded by Universities established over the past 10 years are not as yet recognised by the Institute since we have considerable doubt about the quality of the B.Sc. degree awarded. It is quite true that there exists a public administration circular 16/92 graciously issued by the benevolent Sri Lanka Government that directs 'all appointing authorities to treat degrees of the same level awarded by different Universities coming under the purview of UGC as equivalent to one another'. Such circulars take effect as soon as a new University is established by the publication of the Gazette notice referred to earlier. Such circulars are essential and necessary to enable the UGC to have its conscience clear when it allocates and admits virtually ignorant school leavers to half baked universities. However, a serious question arises as to how a country such as Sri Lanka with such a rich history and heritage of high quality education can tolerate this kind of academic tomfoolery. There are now proposals to create even more universities - a University of Uva and a University of Technology are on the cards and have been officially announced with much pride. The foundation for the University of Uva was in fact laid last week despite the existing Universities not being provided required funds even for their existence. Six new Universities were promised in the election manifesto of the present government. The unfortunate tragic consequences of such unplanned and ill thought political exercises is that all other universities, including the well established Universities in the country are all compelled to suffer reduction in the resources necessary to maintain standards even at the existing levels. The new universities that have been established with a meagre number of academics and grossly inadequate financial resources are also obviously unable to make a significant impact into the total student intake. Many students selected to such universities either do not come or find convenient transfers to other universities. Invaluable public funds are being wasted on infrastructure and other developments but with no tangible gain. It has been reported that Rs. 1000 million has been approved to set up the new University of Uva. The human resources necessary for a knowledge based economy are however not available in the correct quantity or at the correct standards or at the correct time. Lack of adequate resources is indeed a serious hindrance not only to the new universities but also to the existing universities. I wish to quote below the reference to the principles recommended for the expansion of Universities in the National University Policy put out by the National Educational Commission in the late nineties: 'The location of a National University should be decided on the basis of national needs and viability, and not in a simple 'one per province' basis. The ability of a university to attract and retail high quality staff, maintenance of linkages with other organisations and the effects of a university on the economic activities of its locality are concerns of much high priority than the convenience of a small fraction of its student population. Furthermore, in locating a national university, a balance must always be struck between the need for a quiet and uncongested atmosphere based on educational considerations and the need for proximity to a relatively better developed urban centre on considerations of viability. It would be clearly counter-productive to locate universities on ethnic and other sectarian considerations. Universities are expected to bring students from a variety of backgrounds together so that they may interact and develop attitudes and values which are conducive to co-operation and peaceful co-existence'. It does not need much imagination or thought to realise to what extent these lofty principles have been clearly contravened in the establishment of what I refer to as mushroom universities particularly over the past decade. There are consequently wide divergences in the standards of the academic and other staff that have to be recruited to such Universities from the post of Vice Chancellor downwards. The UGC has even lowered the standards of post-graduate qualifications for lecturers' appointments (to all Universities) in an attempt to solve the problem. Tertiary Through a plethora of international schools that have also mushroomed at nooks and corners throughout Sri Lanka, a small number of Sri Lankans including politicians who have the money to pay exorbitant tuition fees, send their children for primary and secondary education in the English medium outside the conventional system. We also have higher educational institutions affiliated to foreign Universities which are also providing very high cost tertiary education to a few Sri Lankans. We also have a few parents, with the necessary funds and outside contacts, sending their children to Universities abroad either after their failing to obtain local university admission or in some cases even without attempting local admission. The Sri Lankan Government graciously provides unlimited foreign exchange for all such educational pursuits. These openings have also encouraged and enhanced an exodus of even competent and qualified University academics, who wish to work abroad to earn money necessary for their children's education. What are the final results? A small number of well to do parents including many politicians thus have unparalleled opportunities to educate their children at the tertiary level in the English medium within Sri Lanka or abroad and using Sri Lankan foreign exchange. A few children are thus given the elitist opportunity to commence their tertiary education much earlier, graduate and come back to compete for the limited jobs available sometimes even before their Sri Lankan classmates finished a major part of their studies at conventional Sri Lankan Universities. We are also well aware that many private sector and even some public sector institutions favour such foreign qualified graduates for employment particularly because they have been educated in the English medium. Is this the equity which the Sri Lankan education system boasts about through a national system with free education, free schoolbooks, free uniforms and what not? Under these conditions is it not blind folly for successive governments not to have encouraged and nurtured a privately managed but regulated tertiary educational system to enable a much larger number of less affluent students to be educated within Sri Lanka at a much lower cost? We know that only a small percentage of those who qualify for university admission are presently admitted to the conventional non fee levying Sri Lankan Universities. We are aware that Sri Lanka has one of the lowest enrolment rates to University education in the whole world. We also know that at present many students even with relatively good results are forced to repeat the A/L examination in order to secure a higher Z-score at a subsequent attempt or seek alternate educational opportunities at a high cost or seek employment at a lower level. Is this not a wastage of human resources? Is this not an unnecessary wastage of valuable productive time in the life of a student? Should we not take early remedial steps to officially provide and encourage, outside the non fee levying state sector, much needed educational opportunities which are heavily in demand in our movement towards a knowledge based economy? Cbservations The Central Bank in its annual reports has repeatedly recommended the setting up of new private Universities and other similar educational institutions since the present state University educational system is supposedly insufficient and outdated. The ADB has also recommended that the Government should phase out total control and ownership of university education and allow participation of the private and non-public sector under state supervision. The World Bank has also made similar observations. Unfortunately positive action from the government does not emerge: we get only empty rhetoric. What a sad and intolerable situation we are unfortunately in? The Government as well as all sections of public have to realize the gross inability of the Government to enhance in any appreciable and productive manner the present expenditure on university education or except at the grave expense of quality, increase in any satisfactory manner the number of students admitted to the non-fee levying state universities, either through the existing ones or by creating new universities. Institutions However, outside the strictly private sector we have a number of highly recognised professional organisations that have come forward, without profit motives, to offer high quality professional programmes within their respective professions. These professionally oriented endeavours should be fostered and encouraged by the government since their objectives are more in keeping with that of the latter and it is an inherent responsibility of such professional bodies to provide good quality education at minimal cost to a wider clientele; they should often meet the running cost from the fees levied but some government assistance towards capital costs and providing bursaries for needy students would be much welcome. I therefore look forward to the state playing the secondary role of catalyst in addition to the primary regulatory role referred to earlier. I have mentioned it on previous occasions and I say it again even more forcefully that the North Colombo Medical College (NCMC) which was established in the early eighties by the Ceylon College of General Practitioners should have been the flag-bearer prototype of many such private Sri Lankan Universities that would have been able to widen access, enhance equity and increase quality without sacrificing quality within the shores of Sri Lanka. Such an opportunity to provide medical education to a large number of Sri Lankan students at a much lower cost within Sri Lanka and without any expenditure to the Sri Lankan Government should have been very welcome and may have even provided the impetus to establish a number of similar Colleges in diverse fields in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, political pressures intervened and this pioneering splendid attempt had an artificial death when the NCMC was taken over by the Government as another medical faculty within the state system - thereby suddenly and without any planning increasing the state expenditure on higher education astronomically. It is now accepted that the NCMC produced well equipped and qualified medical graduates who were much in demand. The NCMC proved the point that the non governmental sector in the form of the College of General Practitioners was able to establish a very successful quality institution of repute within the few years of its existence. Speaking about the involvement of the non government sector in tertiary level education, I have already referred to the pioneering role played by the Institute of Chemistry the professional body of Chemists in Sri Lanka in developing, conducting and nurturing degree level Courses in Chemistry (as well as a laboratory technicians certificate course) from the seventies. Having been personally involved in this unique and pioneering Degree Programme (which was organised to provide a service meet a real need and fill a lacuna in Sri Lanka's tertiary educational system) I can personally say with confidence that we were thus able to provide a new dimension to quality tertiary chemical education in Sri Lanka. The programme has gone on unbroken for 26 years and we have produced nearly 400 Graduate Chemists, a relatively large percentage of whom have obtained postgraduate degrees from Universities throughout the world and many of whom are making an important contribution to national development in Sri Lanka and abroad. The cost to a student for this four year programme amounts to only about Rs. 1 1/4 lakhs per student; the UGC estimate for the average expenditure on a conventional university student is over Rs. 1 lakh per year. The Institute of Chemistry programme could in fact be followed by bright Chemistry undergraduates from some of the newer Universities at much lower cost to their Universities than it would be if they were to duplicate such courses in their own University without the necessary resources and for a few students. **** Telecommunications regulator should regulate The article with the above title which appeared on this page last week was an extract from the speech made in Parliament by Deputy Speaker Gitanjana Gunawardena during the committee stage of the Budget debate. - Editor |
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There
is currently a World Bank funded IRQUE Project with the objective of
improving the quality of undergraduate education in our conventional
universities.
