The new dynamics for higher education

Facing global and local:

The Sri Lankan system of university education began in 1921 with the establishment of the University College, which in 1942, was elevated to the status of a fully-fledged University, which, at its inception, accommodated only 904 students. The University of Ceylon was modelled on the Oxbridge formula, and it was elitist and exclusively residential in character.

This system of University education, which came to be built on the ideas and ideals of the late Sir Ivor Jennings, having served a valuable purpose in providing administrative and professional skills in the three decades after the establishment of the University of Ceylon, became outmoded when the impact of the Free Education Scheme came to be felt in the country.

Free education

Since 1945, this country has been enjoying what is called the Free Education Scheme, under which education is free from kindergarten onwards until one obtains a first degree from a University. This became an integral part of our social welfarism which we developed since the thirties, and though a massive burden on the Sri Lankan State, it is still continued because it is part and parcel of the political culture of country. No Government is willing to touch it because it is interwoven with the electoral fortunes of political parties. Apart from that, it still offers opportunities to rural children who otherwise may not find access to both secondary and higher education. Sri Lanka, on the basis of this social welfare oriented scheme of education, has constructed what is called the Social Demand Model of Education, through which the country has been modernized in a wide variety of ways. We have achieved the highest literacy rate in this part of the world.

‘Redbrick’ formula

Sri Lanka can be proud of such achievements as universal primary enrolment, equality of educational opportunity and near gender equality. The impact of the Free Education Scheme came to be felt in the sixties and seventies, and the University system, in response to those pressures, some of which were political in character, made certain adjustments whereby the system underwent a change. There was immense dissatisfaction with the Oxbridge model, from which we wanted to break away in order to accommodate in ‘Redbrick’ formula which brought about an impressive change in Britain. It was on the basis of this formula that Sri Lanka established provincial Universities to expand the opportunities for higher education.

University of Ruhuna

These universities are new, and their infrastructure not yet developed, even though the new system broke away from the mould of the conventional university.

They introduced new courses which have been organised on the basis of the concept of employability. Our present policy strategy is to produce an employable competent graduate, who can find employment in whatever field he or she undertake to study.

By establishing the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE) in 1994, the Government created a system of technological education to meet the demand for training which, at the time, was unheard of in higher education. This kind of Institution, such as the SLIATE, had to be in step with industrial and technological changes in the country, particularly with regard to the technology implemented globally. Public and private institutions engaged in development could then make use if this intermediate level of technicians who, in due course, could obtain higher qualifications.

Development institutions

Although there is a comprehensive system of Higher Education in the country, the question is whether the system can absorb all the young men and women who seek to enter the system. In other words, the question of access is the main issue. In Sri Lanka, the enrolment rate is tremendously low when compared to other countries. The enrolment rate in the US is over 50 per cent and the average rate for developing countries was 5 per cent. In Sri Lanka, enrolment in Universities have stagnated around 2 to 2.5 per cent and it is in this context that one has to look at the importance of Distance Mode as way of overcoming one of the major problems in the Higher Education sector. In the beginning, I mentioned that the elite-orientation of the university underwent a change. With a view to providing more access, the universities began to expand but the existing system failed to enroll the number of students who qualified at the G.C.E. A/Level examination which, in Sri Lanka, is a highly competitive examination.

The greatest challenge in the 21st century for higher education is the recognition of relevance. By relevance, we mean the need to adapt to the immediate needs of the job market. This, in other words, means that the universities should produce an employable graduate. Through the universities, we need to prepare individuals to contribute to the social and economic development of the country which can be fruitfully achieved if the undergraduates are provided with the relevant skills and the knowledge. It is in this context that higher education needs to be defined as a public service.

Higher education can also be defined as that which contributes to cultural, economic and social development within the context of pluralism and cultural diversity. It is accepted that higher education, in any given society, whether developed or developing, has to play a role in the production and transmission of knowledge. Knowledge is universal and has become the heritage of the mankind. How can we convert universities into knowledgeable institutions? The institutions in the sphere of higher education need to be encouraged to perform an active, creative and innovative role to help change society. In other words, universities should function as development institutions - institutions which promote and encourage development.

Provincial universities

It was in this given background that the government, in the period 1994 - 2000, decided to establish universities in the provinces. The provincialisation of universities, which, in terms of policy, was an attempt to emulate the Red Brick scheme of Britain, through which industrialisation of Britain was accelerated.

In other words, it was our realisation that the Oxbridge Model had already become outmoded and that the country, therefore needed a new model that could successfully cater to specific needs. The view was that the traditional conventional University, with its traditional disciplines, was not the type of university that the country required at this juncture; the country needed a set of new universities which could specialise on courses of studies that are immediately relevant to economic development. Above all, they needed to be courses with which the employability of the graduate could be guaranteed. Therefore, the new universities, which came to be established on the basis of this formula, were expected to be innovative in character.

Conclusion

In conclusion may I say that the higher education, in the context of current developments in Sri Lanka, is of paramount importance for economic and social development. Today, in the global context, challenge before all countries, specially South Asia, is how to improve the higher education as this sector, due to a variety of problems including that of fiscal constraints, face numerous problems which demand new policy initiatives. The Sri Lankan system of higher education, based on a rich historical tradition, could be reformed in such a way as to see that the system could make a noteworthy contribution to both development and change in the country, and new policy initiatives and a reform strategy being planned and adopted with a view to reforming the system on the basis of both local and global considerations.