The case for discipline

They say that a 'little education' is a dangerous thing. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, is one of the few countries in the world which offers 'full education' to all literally from the cradle to the grave. Sri Lanka boasts an entirely free education system right up to university level. The free education system, coupled with a free healthcare system, has propelled Sri Lanka to the front ranks of developing nations with good human quality of life indices. Our literacy rate is among the highest in the region.

There is a belief that what is given free is hardly appreciated. This seems to be the case with our university education structure. The State spends lakhs of rupees on each student in the universities. But are all students appreciating this fact? It is essential that the university students make the maximum out of their university structure, as thousands of students are deprived of the chance to enter the university by a matter of marks.

Judging by recent events, discipline in our universities seems to have sunk to a new low. The recent clashes at the University of Colombo indicate that this malaise is not leaving our education system anytime soon. Ragging, though unrelated to this incident, continues even after a few tragic deaths at universities and technical colleges. Student clashes are becoming increasingly common.

One often finds that politics is the root cause of most incidents at universities. No one can, and should, deny university students the right to hold political beliefs and engage in political activities. That is a democratic right of all adults and university students are no exception. But what is objectionable is that such political activism often affects university life and studies. Only a handful of student union leaders and other students actively engage in these purely political activities, but their actions affect all students, including those who only wish to complete their degree. It is often said that these student leaders shed their political beliefs soon after leaving the university and look for the best jobs available.

The only solution available to the authorities in some instances is closing down the university in question for a temporary period. Even if a university is closed for just two or three days, it affects the whole student population as lectures and practical sessions have to be rescheduled. It also has a bearing on the students' frame of mind and their finances. There was a time when it took around six years to complete a basic degree thanks to university closures, though the situation is arguably much better now.

Still, university closures have to be avoided as much as possible for the sake of all students.

Our universities need disciplinary committees, if they don't have them already. Perhaps parents could be more closely involved in this type of process, as they do in schools. Bringing in the Police does not always help as the students usually view them with suspicion, but some form of outside authority can help the process of cultivating better discipline in universities. The authorities must study how foreign universities maintain discipline among their vast student populations.

That brings us to the whole question of free education. If fees were levied by any chance at our universities, would students be inclined to miss out on their academic activities? A casual analysis of fee levying educational institutions in this country and elsewhere proves that student agitations are hardly a feature at such places. They try to get their money's worth, without getting embroiled in politics or factional violence.

In any case, one cannot fathom the basis for opposing private universities in this country. There are private and so-called international schools in all parts of the country. As far as we know, no one has complained about their existence. They exist side by side with the Government schools.

Democracy is all about choice - the choice to pay or not to pay for education, or for anything else, is entirely an individual choice. I can be perfectly happy with free-to-air television or I can pay Rs.2000 per month for satellite or cable television. It is up to me to decide. Affluent parents may admit their children to an international school and that is their choice.

It is ironic that university student leaders or firebrand politicians do not either acknowledge or conveniently ignore, the fact that thousands of Sri Lankan students go to foreign universities every year. No one has opposed that and with good reason too - it is a democratic right. But many fail to see another important factor in this scenario. It is called foreign exchange.

Foreign universities, especially those in the West, charge an enormous amount for tuition, not to mention boarding fees and living expenses. It basically means that millions of rupees in hard-earned foreign exchange go to other countries to fund our citizens' education. If we had one or two world-class private universities here, at least 50 per cent of those students would opt to remain here and attend the same. The resulting foreign exchange saving will be considerable.

Besides, we would even be able to earn foreign exchange through a private university. Such a university could attract foreign students, especially from the SAARC region and the Middle East, with a competitive fee structure.

Low living costs are another attraction for these students.

A change in attitudes is essential before a private university is established. It would be wrong to assume that only the best students go to our universities and the rest are not worthy of university admission. Thanks to a theory-based, rote-based education and examination system, there are many instances when really bright students end up on the wrong side of the fence. They miss university by a whisker and are sometimes unable to find other educational opportunities or employment. A private university could fill this void, albeit at a cost. In other words, graduates of a private university would not necessarily be the intellectual misfits that university unions would have us believe. It will give an opportunity for students who cannot enter conventional universities to pursue their educational goals.

Granted, this will cost money but it will still be much lower than the fees charged by universities abroad. And safeguards can be established, as in the case of medical graduates from foreign universities who have to sit for an examination locally to qualify to work as doctors in Government hospitals.

That said, the time has come to take a long, hard look at the mismatch between the job market and our education system. Do our universities produce enough graduates who could fit in to the work ethos and requirements of the private sector? Only a few, seems to be the answer. There was a program called Tharuna Aruna, a joint initiative of the Government and the private sector, which trained graduates for a private sector environment. But this is not the ideal approach. It should come from within the school and university system. Schools should again commence the teaching of vocational subjects, so that students so inclined could choose that path. After all, not everyone can be a doctor or engineer. Universities should offer more courses, perhaps in consultation with the private sector, that match the requirements of the job market.

There is a widespread belief that some streams in the university offer little scope for employment. This is not exactly an incorrect assumption. It would be imprudent to assume that such courses can be done away with in their entirety - a university ought to teach completely academic subjects - but the authorities must explore the possibility of tailoring even these courses to fit the requirements of the wider society. A private university, necessarily an all-new initiative, is likely to offer only such courses and streams that will be tailored for the job market.

As mentioned elsewhere in this article, thousands of students miss out on university admission usually for no fault of their own. There must be proper programs to guide these individuals towards higher education and/or employment either in the Government or the private sector. A private university is just one option. There should be other avenues as well for them to realize their potential and serve the Motherland. The authorities should identify existing opportunities and create new ones, so that these students could contribute positively to developing the country's economy.

They should not be allowed to feel that they have been 'left out' of the picture, so to speak. Both university and non-university students could make it to the top with correct guidance and opportunities.