Sri Lanka lacks high brow IT personnel

by Afreeha Jawad

Sri Lanka has a long way to go in information technology - so vital in national growth. Lacking in the much needed professional capital, that the industry calls for, the country is compelled to watch other countries not to forget neighbouring India as well take giant strides in this field.

Talking to the Sunday Observer on this topic, former Vice Chancellor, Moratuwa University, Professor Samarajeewa Karunaratne, presently Head of the Sri Lanka Institute for Information Technology (SLIIT) said, "We need competency at three levels.

Firstly top level IT personnel comprising professionals are necessary for developing IT services outsourced by other countries.

The next level of expertise is required for software development in local usage. The third level must bear competency in bringing out people who could use these services."

A doctor for instance will need information on a certain drug or a teacher may want historical facts relating to World War I - these then are service users who could be trained to tap the required information.

The importance of outsourcing IT services in the interest of national growth cannot be overlooked. India for instance is doing well in this field. It is in fact a great money spinner. Regretfully, Sri Lanka is way behind in IT services outsourced by other countries. We have around ten or fifteen major IT service providers here doing work which are outsourced by other countries. What we need to build is the local professional cadre.

Ireland is the largest software exporter. In the 1960s Ireland was a poor country. Today percapita wise she is one of the richest. India put out around one lakh of IT professionals every year. We should in comparison have at least 2,000 annually whereas we produce only 1,000 - the bulk coming from SLIIT.

What then has been hurdling Lanka's progress in this relatively novel industry? As in many other instances the constant shift in national policy accompanying government change has been the industry's main bugbear. India has reached gigantic levels in IT because of consistency in national policy.

"We certainly pay for our ignorance. Take for instance the locally turned out traffic lights - all one- fifth the cost of the foreign product thanks to the Moratuwa University and Arthur C. Clarke Institute - certainly it is our knowledge that helped in cost reduction. With IT knowledge we can become more economical and efficient," he said.

Thus the importance of 'E' government in national growth was very evident in what Professor Karunaratne had to say.

Brushing aside fears of high cost, he said, "Not at all.

If we could have post offices and telephones in remote areas, having an IT centre in every village is not difficult. Telecommunication fees over here are still much higher than in other countries.

Earlier a phone call to the US cost one dollar per minute. But now it has come down to Rs. 20 per minute. It could be further reduced to Rs. 5. For data transfer where usage is high, the cost should be lowered. This then will be in national interest."

E government is all about saving time, energy and money. Though Sri Lanka is into E-government, we are still at the very initial stages only. If people wanting their birth certificates, passports and trade information can have access to such in their locality's service centre it will help in cost effectiveness. Large crowds need not storm into Colombo perhaps even impacting positively on overcrowding and traffic.

Taking the message of IT into schools Professor Karunaratne and his SLIIT staff have put out a book for Grade 12 students all free of charge.

Their next endeavour is a text for the G.C.E. O'Level class - this attempt being a fee levying one. The idea behind all this is to improve the country's IT proficiency and teaching students in one methodology.

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