By Dr. C. S. Weeraratna

(csweera@sltnet.lk)

Former Professor, Ruhuna and

Rajarata Universities

During the last two decades, most of the South and South East Asian countries have developed considerably with the involvement of the academics. In Sri Lanka, the universities, and postgraduate institutes are maintained at a huge cost. In 2018 the expenditure related to university education was around Rs 60 billion. The universities are under the jurisdiction of the University Grants Commission (UGC), and have a total academic strength of around 6000, most of them with postgraduate qualifications. Among these 6000, about 825 are professors, and 5,200 are senior lecturers and lecturers. The main objective of the universities in Sri Lanka is to develop human resources to meet national development, through appropriate programmes. These include teaching, research and outreach programmes.

Education at university level providing appropriate technical knowledge is critical to the building up of a knowledge society and knowledge-based economy which are the latest catch words in the field of Education. Proper use of science and technology is vital for achieving the objectives of a knowledge-based economy, but, to what extent the human and other resource base of our universities have been used to meet national development needs through innovative educational, research and outreach programmes?.

Universities and socio-economic development:

In Sri Lanka, government funds the state universities and expect them to contribute to socio-economic development of the country. But, the vast intellectual and infrastructural resource base of the universities has remained almost untapped or underutilized. It is obvious that the authorities should, initiate /implement programmes to mobilize and channel the resources available in our universities for regional/national development. The socio-economic challenges which we face in Sri Lanka have increased considerably during the last few years. Among these are a. High Cost of Production in the plantation and non-plantation (domestic) sector, b. Land Slides mainly in Badulla, Kandy, Matale, Nuwara Eliya districts , c. Water shortage in many parts of the country., d. Chronic Kidney disease of unknown etiology which is affecting nearly 200,000 people in 10 districts, e. Poverty mainly in the rural sector;.f. Effective disposal of solid waste, g. Malnutrition among children, h. Power shortage and alternative sources of power.

To find solutions to these issues, appropriate public-private sector organizations need to collaborate with the academics of the universities to implement short /medium/long term programmes. But, there appears to be no effective mechanisms for the university academics to be involved/coordinate with the appropriate public-private organizations to effectively address the challenges faced by the country. It is necessary that the government institutions need to establish systems to collaborate with appropriate academics, if the authorities are really keen to find solutions to the pressing problems indicated above. A few years ago there were attempts by the Ministry of Agriculture to coordinate with the university agriculture faculties to find solutions to the pressing problems in the agriculture sector. But, these attempts appear have died down. If such coordination was effectively established, we would have found solutions to some of the pressing problems such as the Weligama Coconut Wilt and other issues facing the country.

Quality of Education:

It is essential that the total student population passing out from the universities needs to be given satisfactory education/ training. The quality of education in a university depends to a considerable extent on the standard of the academic staff and the other related facilities such as library, laboratory and field. In most of the faculties in the recently established universities, these basic facilities are not at a satisfactory level. The students passing out from such universities also tend to be of lower quality, not because of their faults.

Closely related to academic standards in universities is the relevance of the courses offered by the universities. While a large number of graduates remain unemployed or under –employed, employers complain that the graduates are of no use to them. They say that their standard of English is inadequate. The total annual expenditure by the UGC is in the region of Rs 60 billion. What is the use of spending so much money, if the country cannot make use of a large number of the graduates passing out. If what the employers say is correct, has there been a concerted effort by the UGC to modify/change the university courses so that the graduates are more useful? The Dept. of National Planning should play a more active role; interact with the employers and advice the UGC on the modifications/changes that need to be carried out. Perhaps these changes may not need additional expenditure.

Should the country continue to spend billions of rupees on higher education if it has no significant impact on the socio-economic development of the country? It does not mean that the universities should be closed or privatised as what was done in the case of some public sector organizations. What needs to be done is to examine what ails the university system and take appropriate measures to rectify them so that the universities could contribute positively towards achieving a knowledge-based economy.

Knowledge society and knowledge-based economy are the latest catch words in the field of Education. Knowledge, skills and resourcefulness of people are critical to the building up of a knowledge society which is crucial for achieving the objective of a knowledge-based economy. Universities play a prominent role in achieving this objective. At present there are 15 universities in Sri Lanka. Graduates qualifying from these universities have a very significant role to play in all the different professional/non professional spheres of the country which are important in achieving a knowledge–based economy. However, only about 20% of students who get qualified to enter universities get admitted. For example in the year 2016, ,103,000 students who sat for GCE (A level) qualified but only 19,000 (18.52 %) were admitted. Current data are not available.

Inability to utilize a large percentage of human resources in the country to contribute to the endeavours in achieving a knowledge society tend to retard to a great extent the socio-economic growth in the country. Insufficient opportunities for higher education cause serious problems leading to youth unrest, and as a result of inadequate local opportunities for higher education, a large number of students go overseas to follow various courses. In the year 2009, the total outward remittances for educational purposes were around Rs. 2 billion.

University Academic staff:

The success/achievements of a university deepened to a considerable extent on its academic staff. Currently there are around 5,700 in the academic staff of the 15 universities. Nearly 2,500 of them have postgraduate qualifications.

By being involved in research/extension and other related activities, they could make a significant impact on the socio-economic issues affecting the country. A large number of them are highly committed and go out of their way to contribute to improve the output of their institutions. If not for them, the various programmes and activities of professional societies, such as Sri Lanka Association for the Advancement of Science (SLAAS), which have an catalytic effect on the socio-economic development of the country, would come to a halt. All these are done on a voluntary basis.

Most of the university academic staff have to work under very trying conditions. Some of the basic facilities necessary for the staff to carry out their work satisfactorily are not available to them. Although staff quarters available for the academic staff of Peradeniya University, most of the staff in regional universities such as Wayamba, Rajarata etc. do not have proper places to stay and they have to pay a considerable portion of their salaries on accommodation. Communication and transport facilities are limiting. I am aware of some university academic staff members who have to start early morning, walk to the bus/train station, and travel hundreds of kilometers to attend to various academic/professional meetings in Colombo or Peradeniya. These are done on a voluntary basis. When the staff member has to stay overnight in Colombo or Kandy, he/she has no place to stay and has to depend on a friend or a relation. Thus they have to face untold difficulties in attending to their professional work.

Most of the recently recruited probationary academic staff need to obtain post-graduate qualifications so that they could provide a better service. It will also raise the standards of the respective universities. Some time ago, there was a programme to send the university probationary academic staff for post-graduate training to overseas. This made it a possible to have a well-qualified academic staff. However, there is no such a programme at present. It is essential that this programme is continued if we are to maintain/raise the academic standing of our universities.

Research

The university academic staff is expected to do research and extension. Their research out-put is given due consideration when they are given promotions. They need to publish their research findings. I brought to the notice of the UGC through the Chairman of the standing committee in which I was a member, the need to have a compendium indicating the research projects, conducted by the academic staff of universities of Sri Lanka, and to publish the research papers of the university staff, at least in an annual journal. But this was not done.

Conducting research, especially laboratory/field research is a real challenge. Most of the basic requirements for research such as laboratory (equipment and chemicals) /communication/transport etc. are limiting. In spite of many difficulties, a large number of university academics conduct research. How have these research benefited the country? Ideally the UGC should have a programme to commercialize/make use of the research findings of the university staff. It is necessary to have an effective mechanism to interact with the industry so that the research findings could be used by them. It is then only that the research conducted by the university staff universities can have an impact on the socio-economic development of the country. Merely conducting research is not going to be of use.

Employment of graduates:

A substantial percentage of those passing out from our universities and other higher education institutes are unemployed or under-employed. Thousands of graduates have been appointed as Development Assistants in many government offices and are not involved in productive work. Inability to utilize a large percentage of human resources in the country to contribute to the endeavours in realizing the objectives of a knowledge-based economy tend to retard to a great extent the socio-economic growth in the country. There are many enterprises in the fields of industries and agriculture where there are opportunities for the graduates to find productive employment. But, the previous governments have not being able to increase employment opportunities so that those passing out from the universities can be gainfully employed. Instead they simply gave employment to thousands of graduates as Development Assistants who do not have much development work to do. This may be one of the reasons for the widening trade deficit. It is extremely important that the numerous organizations such as Industrial Development Board, Export Development Board, and Institute of Post-Harvest Technology develop appropriate programmes which will have a positive impact on employment opportunities in the country. Inability of the government to create adequate employment opportunities so that the graduates can be gainfully employed would cause serious problems leading to youth unrest, which the relevant authorities need to give serious consideration.