University shut-outs:

A serious social issue

by Andrew Scott

Recently the admissions to the country's universities were finalised and those selected will have the opportunity to enter the portals of the nations's higher seats of learning to pursue their studies in their selected disciplines. But it is well known that annually the number that is selected for admission to the universities in Sri Lanka is a mere fraction of those who are really eligible to apply for entrance to a university.

To lead a useful life: there are many avenues available for successful living

From the point of view of these students and their ever anxious parents this is a grave injustice because the number of those who are shut-out from the main stream of university education is very much more than those who are selected to enter the Sri Lankan universities.

It is nothing but prudent for us to think about the sorry plight of the unfortunate young men and women who are left out of university admission as a result of which they become frustrated and disillusioned at a very impressive stage of their lives. It is saddening that there isn't any organised program of action taken by parents, elders, teachers and even the state to cushion the adverse effects of the failure of those students to gain university admission.

What normally happened with an average student who fails to gain admission to a university is that, mainly due to his crushed ambition, he gets into groups and wastes the best part of his life in an atmosphere of frustration. Then he gradually develops jealousy towards those who have been successful to gain admission to a university. Some other university shut-outs live with confused aims and become easy prey to criminal activities.

Eventually most of those youth will end up as lawless individuals who would be a problem to the society in which they live and will also become a burden to their parents who have been dreaming of the lucky day in which their son or daughter would enter the university.

Many of our students proceed to do AL studies mainly because today it is impossible to secure any type of employment even with a very good OL certificate. Another very important reason why so many youth aspire to do higher studies is because still in Sri Lanka a person with even a basic degree enjoys a better status in society than those without a degree qualification.

In addition a degree in any discipline has become a hopeful passport for seeking employment in the private as well as the public sectors. Once they enter the Advanced Level Classes the students' dream of collecting a degree after a prolonged struggle amidst many sacrifices on their part and on the part of their parents. They harbour hopes of securing a prestigious employment with a high pay other fringe benefits after eventual graduation.

At the end of the students' school career only a very few realise their life's ambitions and these youth who cannot enter a university become an immediate problem to themselves as well as to their parents and later on to the entire society in which they live. It is time that educationists, educational planners and the State took action to put these university shut outs to better use on a national scale.

Those who are not selected for university admission are left stranded in society with a strong feeling of bitterness and frustration. A majority of this large number of students cannot obtain any satisfactory form of employment and they are forced to waste their precious time which if channelled in the proper direction can be very productive.

On the other hand it cannot be denied that a few well placed families are successful in securing employment for their offspring and a handful of students of affluent parents are sent abroad for higher education. At the same time just because a student cannot enter a university many parents are haunted with the idea that his son or daughter has no future at all. This very attitude has a negative psychological impact on the students.

The problem of university shut-outs which is fast developing into a serious social issues can be eased to a great extent if there is a realistic increase in the intake of students to all our universities. Another useful thing to do is to provide alternative facilities for higher education. It will also be rewarding if vocational guidance is provided for these university shut-outs as many parents and students are unaware of the various avenues available for successful living in this country.

A force to be reckoned with is that annually the number of university shut-outs is increasing tremendously and this it turn contributes to aggravate the problem of the educated unemployed in the country.

The university shut-outs also create many incidental social problems that affect the smooth functioning of the life of the country in many ways as it will also create an atmosphere of indiscipline in the country.

Whatever it is we must take every precaution to see that university shut-outs do not feel disgruntled in any way. It is also very important that they must not be allowed to live with the impression that their lives have become a failure due to their inability to gain university admission.

They should be infused sufficient moral courage to lead useful lives.