By Professor R.P. Gunawardane

In the most recent address on a policy statement, made by the President of Sri Lanka in the Parliament on 18 January, 2022, he highlighted the importance of non-state universities in Sri Lanka and proposed policy guidelines to promote the establishment of such universities in the country. Although the importance of such a scheme is well recognised, all previous governments failed to implement such a programme due to narrow political reasons. This proposal has been long overdue and it is a most welcome move by the President after going through a very difficult period of governance due to the effects of the worst pandemic faced by humanity in this century, many reversals of misguided policies and unscientific decision-making concerning many vital issues at the highest level of the government.

As a person who has been promoting this idea for over several decades without much success, this article is presented making a strong case for the facilitation of the establishment of such institutions in the country, expanding on its direct and indirect impacts to the nation and also specifying the role of the government to make it a success.

Need for non-state non-profit universities

It is evident that the state monopoly on university education hinders expansion, diversification and innovation in our higher education institutions. As a result, a large number of deserving students are denied opportunities for university education. In this situation many students go abroad seeking university education in other countries, draining colossal amounts of valuable foreign exchange annually. Some parents do this with utmost difficulty by mortgaging their only house or property, making an enormous sacrifice.

Private and non-state non-profit universities including medical schools operate in parallel with state universities and medical schools in our neighbouring countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan. Our students go to these countries in addition to East European countries, China, Malaysia and Cuba for their undergraduate studies in all fields, including medicine.

All top universities in the world including Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Stanford and all Ivy League universities in the USA and even Oxford, Cambridge and London universities in the UK are completely independent non-state non-profit institutions. Although they receive some funding from the government for specific teaching and research projects none of them are state controlled.

Private and non-state non-profit university level institutions in Sri Lanka do not come under the purview of the University Grants Commission (UGC). As such, they are not required to abide by the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 which has centralised powers and decision-making at the UGC. Consequently, these institutions have a tremendous advantage and full freedom to expand and diversify programmes with innovative approaches without any clearance or approval from any government authorities.

Free education and non-state universities

Some interested parties have brought up a general issue against the establishment of non-state universities in Sri Lanka. They claim that it is against the free education policy in this country. Consequently, it has become more of a political issue. It is surprising that those who oppose non-state universities do not protest the non-state sector participation in education, healthcare and many other sectors in the country. It must be realised that state sector and non-state sector institutions can coexist and compete without jeopardising state policies as it happens now in education, health and many other sectors.

Almost all preschools are run by the private sector. There are many private sector primary and secondary schools operating throughout the island while we practice free education. Some of these private schools are of considerably high standard. A large number of students, especially in urban areas, now attend private schools paying exorbitant school fees because of the difficulty in finding placement in popular government schools. Those students who study in government schools spend colossal amounts on tuition classes. This amount, in some cases, exceeds the school fees paid by those who attend private schools.

Many non-state sector universities and other degree awarding institutes, recognised by the UGC, have been operating in the country for many years. High quality private hospitals operate side by side with state hospitals providing valuable services while free healthcare is practised in the state sector. Government doctors are free to practice in private hospitals although some tend to abuse this freedom. Similarly, private sector organisations operate in competition with the state sector in transport, insurance, banking, media, fuel, energy, trade and many other fields giving people enough choice and thus benefiting the customers. Under such circumstances, why the fuss about the non-state sector, private universities and medical schools, as long as they comply with common rules stipulated by the regulatory bodies including the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC)?

Non-state sector university level institutions have been fairly well established in Sri Lanka in the last two decades. There are over 22 such institutions approved by the UGC. One such institution of high quality is Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) with links to top universities in Australia, the UK and the USA. They are also performing an enormous service to the country by providing alternative avenues of university education to our deserving students. These institutions can also supplement the state university system by cooperating in different ways. Consequently, these institutions should also be guided by an accreditation and quality assurance mechanism operated by the government. A properly constituted Accreditation and Quality Assurance council, if established in Sri Lanka, can assure the quality of degree programmes offered by state universities as well as non-state sector institutions.

Under such circumstances why not allow non-state and non-profit universities in this country? These institutions can not only provide high quality university education to local students but also attract foreign students bringing in much needed foreign exchange to the country.

However, it must be stressed that further opening and regularising university education to the non-state sector should necessarily be accompanied by, (i) an independent accreditation and quality assurance mechanism and (ii) need-based financial assistance to a certain proportion of students by the institutions. In addition, it is desirable to have a low-interest loan scheme for such students offered by a state bank or by the Mahapola Trust Fund.

Benefits to national economy

Introducing an element of competition to the tertiary education system is expected to improve quality, provide more variety and reduce cost of training. With the liberalisation, the policies should be directed towards facilitating the expansion and diversification of tertiary education to reach about 25 percent (age cohort) participation rate by the year 2025.

When those who can afford have the opportunity to enter non-state sector institutions, it is possible to accommodate others in the state system. Consequently, state funds can be targeted more towards helping the disadvantaged gain access to high quality tertiary education. It is most desirable, as far as possible, to have merit-based admission and need-based financial aid for all those who are admitted to all universities. This will ensure fair play and justice and will not deny any candidate university entry because of financial hardships.

One group of Sri Lankan students has been left out of our university admission process. They are the students who study in private or international schools, which do not offer Sri Lankan GCE A/L but prepare students for the London (UK) A/L exam. These students enrol in international schools mostly not by choice but by necessity due to the inability to get into a reputed government school in urban areas. They are also Sri Lankan citizens who have legitimate expectations of gaining admission to state universities, which is denied them. Some of them follow hybrid degree programmes of overseas universities, involving initial on-line courses which can be done at home in Sri Lanka followed by an in person component in a foreign country. But the total tuition fee has to be paid in foreign currency draining our precious foreign exchange. This group will also benefit from the proposed non-state non-profit universities in Sri Lanka, while saving a considerable amount of foreign exchange to the country.

This plan, if properly implemented, will considerably increase access to university education, for a large number of our students. Furthermore, they can receive high quality higher education in their home country at a much lower cost without being forced to go abroad for university education. Since a large number of students from neighbouring countries can be attracted to these institutions it will bring in a fair amount of foreign exchange annually to this country. In addition, our students are also exposed to students from different cultures in a local environment.

Action plan, role of government

As such, in line with global trends, the tertiary education sector should be opened up to the non-governmental and private sector with a national accreditation and a monitoring scheme. Once a comprehensive proposal is prepared it is necessary to invite prestigious universities in developed countries, international non-profit foundations and professional organisations of international repute to set up new universities or campuses of existing prestigious universities in the world. This should include a package of incentives, facilitating policies, any tax incentives and most importantly the central contact point or authority in Sri Lanka for this purpose should be identified.

It is not sufficient just to announce the intention of promoting non-state non-profit universities in Sri Lanka by the President in his address to the Parliament. This announcement should be followed up immediately with a properly formulated action plan. For this purpose, a suitable high-powered Presidential Committee consisting of highly qualified persons with experience in the higher education sector should be appointed immediately to work out an action plan with a time frame.

The main purpose of this Committee should be to work out an action plan to promote the establishment of high quality and well-equipped non-state universities in Sri Lanka. They could also identify some organisations and universities abroad for this purpose. The action plan should include proposed incentives, policy guidelines and assistance and facilitations provided by the government to establish such campuses in this country. To facilitate and expedite the implementation, there should be only one central authority or institution dealing with the applicants or specific proposals regarding this matter.

The role of the government in establishing such institutions should be limited to issuing some basic guidelines and also facilitating and promoting the establishment of well-equipped and high-quality institutions. Consequently, the central government should not get directly involved in the establishment of such institutions. But adequate incentives should be provided to attract high quality and prestigious universities. However, the government should specify that such institutions should offer need-based financial assistance to at least 10 percent of the total number of Sri Lankan students enrolled in the university. This way the government can ensure that students of low-income households are not completely excluded.