News
Engineer brain drain not second to other professionals leaving the country
By Rathindra Kuruwita
The Association of Public Service Engineers (APSE) revealed that government departments, ministries, and local government bodies currently have only 1,000 engineers in their employ. This number represents only 66 percent of the approved cadre, according to Eng. L.S. Sooriyabandara.
Eng. Sooriyabandara, a representative of the Association of Public Service Engineers (APSE), noted that the organization comprises engineers affiliated to various departments, ministries, and local government bodies.
Explaining the current trends, he said that “while the approved cadre is 1530, the current count stands at approximately 1000 engineers. A significant portion of them has either already left the country in search of greener pastures, or are on the verge of leaving.
Sooriyabandara highlighted that the process of producing a chartered engineer requires a span of eight years. During the period, from 2000 to 2020, Sri Lanka witnessed the implementation of numerous infrastructure projects, including the construction of approximately 20 large tanks, several highways, and thousands of buildings, he noted.
“We need to maintain such constructions. For example, there are over 10,000 schools and we need to maintain the buildings to ensure that our children are safe. Now engineers are not recruited because those in power believe there are no new projects. Meanwhile one third of engineers attached to the state have left,” he said.
Sooriyabandara, who serves in the Irrigation Department, emphasized their responsibility for overseeing the consistent water supply to 800,000 acres and maintaining more than 360 major tanks. He highlighted the gravity of such a responsibility and expressed concern about the challenges posed by severe staff shortages. Furthermore, he noted that a significant number of engineers are receiving inadequate compensation for their work.
Former Assistant secretary of APSE Damith Dissanayake reported a staggering 300 percent increase in the brain drain among engineers compared to 2019. He revealed that in 2023 alone, more than 5,000 engineers overall have left Sri Lanka. Among all the professionals who departed the country in 2023, approximately 40 percent were engineers, highlighting a significant trend of skilled professionals relocating.
Dissanayake said there is the high international recognition of Sri Lankan engineering degrees, noting that engineers can relocate to 123 countries without undergoing country-specific examinations. He highlighted that the Institution of Engineers Sri Lanka (IESL) has entered into the Washington Accord. Consequently, engineering degree programmes accredited by the IESL are recognized as equivalent to four-year engineering degree programmes by other signatories to the Washington Accord.
“If a doctor wants to migrate to Australia, he or she has to sit for two exams by the Australian Medical Council. The second exam is very difficult and about 70 percent of applicants fail. But a Sri Lankan engineer does not have to sit for such an exam. It’s easier to migrate and there are always opportunities for engineers,” he said.
Dissanayake stressed the need for the government to raise the initial salary for engineers to 300,000 rupees, a significant increase from the current 79,000 rupees. While acknowledging that this might appear as an unrealistic raise, he emphasized that the repercussions of not providing a substantial salary increment to engineers could have devastating consequences.
“Even the private sector faces a shortage of engineers. At this rate, the government will have to seek the services of foreign engineers to maintain our infrastructure,” he said.
Dissanayake said the engineers also want the government to fill the large number of vacancies that exist in the system.
“Brain drain is a big problem in Sri Lanka. I am not talking about engineers alone. You look at any sector and the best professionals are leaving. No country has developed by depleting its professionals. The government must provide a living wage to workers, give them professional dignity and in the case of the government sector, it must fill the large number of vacancies that exist. Most professionals attached to the government sector are stressed because he or she now does the work of two or three people,” he said.
Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa has alleged that the current government is attempting to suppress freedom of expression and media freedom to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.
In a video message on Thursday (25), Premadasa said that in a democratic country, the four main pillars safeguarding democracy are the legislature, the executive, the judiciary, and the independent media, but, at present, the government is using the police to violate both the democratic rights of the people and the rights of police officers themselves.
He said that the government is working to establish a police state that deprives citizens of their right to access truthful information.
“For democracy to be protected, media freedom must be safeguarded, and space must be given to independent media. Instead, the government is interfering with the independent media process, using the police to suppress and intimidate independent media,” he said.
He noted that even when independent media present their views based on reason, facts, and evidence, the government attempts to suppress them. Such actions, he said, amount to turning a democratic country into a police state. “Do not suppress the voice of the silent majority, the independent media,” he urged.
Premadasa emphasised that independent media represent the voice of the silent majority in the country and must not be suppressed.
“Media repression is a step towards authoritarian rule, and the people did not give their mandate to create an authoritarian regime or a police state. If the government attempts to abolish democratic rights, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya will stand as the opposition against it,” he said.
The Opposition Leader further alleged that the government was interfering with police independence, stating, “Political interference has undermined the independence of the police, making it impossible for them to serve impartially. Suppressing freedom of expression is an attempt to lead the country towards authoritarian rule.”
Premadasa pointed out that the media has the right to reveal the truth, and interfering with that right is a violation of the rights of 22 million citizens.
Vegetable prices at the Peliyagoda Manning Wholesale Market surged to unusually high levels yesterday (26), raising concerns among consumers as the festive season drives up demand. The situation is expected to persist over the next few days, a spokesman for the Manning Market told The Island.
He said a sharp increase in the number of buyers visiting the wholesale market, ahead of upcoming festivities, had resulted in a sudden spike in demand, prompting wholesale traders to raise prices significantly. The price hikes have affected a wide range of commonly consumed vegetables, placing additional pressure on household budgets.
According to market sources, the wholesale price of beans climbed to Rs. 1,100 per kilogram, while capsicum soared to Rs. 2,000 per kilogram. Green chillies were selling at around Rs. 1,600 per kilogram. Prices of other vegetables, including beetroot, brinjal (eggplant), tomatoes, bitter gourd, snake gourd and knolkhol, also recorded unusually high increases.
The spokesman alleged that despite the steep rise in prices, vegetable farmers have not benefited from the increases. Instead, he claimed that a group of traders, who effectively control operations at the wholesale market, are arbitrarily inflating prices to maximise profits.
He warned that if the relevant authorities fail to intervene promptly to curb these practices, vegetable prices could escalate further during the peak festive period. Such a trend, he said, would disproportionately benefit a small group of middlemen while leaving consumers to bear the brunt of higher food costs.
By Kamal Bogoda ✍️
The Hakgala National Botanical Garden, which was closed in the aftermath of Cyclone Ditwah, has been reopened to tourists from yesterday, the Ministry of Environment indicated.
The Ministry said the reopening was carried out in accordance with recommendations and guidelines issued by the National Building Research Organisation (NBRO) and the DisasterManagement Centre (DMC) after safety assessments were completed.
However, due to the identification of hazardous ground conditions, several areas, within the garden, have been temporarily restricted. These include the pond area, near the main entrance, and access roads leading towards the forest park where potential risks were observed. Warning signs have been installed to prevent visitors from entering these zones.
To ensure the safety and convenience of both local and foreign visitors, the garden’s management has introduced a special assistance programme, with staff deployed to guide and support tourists.
The Hakgala Botanical Garden was closed as a precautionary measure during the disaster situation triggered by Cyclone Ditwah. The Ministry noted that the garden has now been safely reopened, within a short period, following remedial measures and inspections, allowing visitors to resume access while maintaining necessary safety precautions.
By Sujeewa Thathsara ✍️
A few showers may occur in the Northern, Eastern and Uva provinces and in Polonnaruwa, Matale and Nuwara-Eliya districts
Sajith warns country is being dragged into authoritarian rule
Wholesale mafia blamed for unusually high vegetable prices
Cyclone-damaged Hakgala Botanical Garden reopened with safety measures
Holiday travellers generate record revenue for expressways
Another casualty from underworld warfare succumbs to his injuries
‘Dates have the highest sugar content to fight Coronavirus’
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