Since writing my previous piece to The Island (01st November) on the above subject, I have come across a document titled ‘National Policy Framework on Higher Education and Technical & Vocational Education’ prepared by the National Education Commission (NEC) in June 2009. It confirms, in no uncertain terms, the facts revealed not only by Dr. C. S. Weeraratne but also by the UGC Chairman (Prof. Gamini Samaranayake) himself regarding the pitiful state prevailing in some of the newer universities without the basic physical facilities and qualified staff (call it the lowest common denominator) required to function as universities worthy of their name.The NEC document referred to above says in black and white that the new universities do not conform to required norms, that they suffer from a dearth of infrastructure facilities as well as human resources, that most of them are spread out in several campuses in different locations creating problems of administration and transportation, and that these problems have resulted in student unrest and non-peaceful environments in the universities. Then why on earth do we need to talk about raising five Sri Lankan universities to international level before attempting to raise the newer universities to some decent (I deliberately use that word) standard which would justify them being called universities.
As an alumnus of the Peradeniya University I would be among the happiest to see it being elevated to international level, remembering with gratitude the contribution it made to enrich my own life and recalling the optimism expressed by its founder Vice-Chancellor (Ivor Jennings) that there is not the slightest doubt that it will be one of the finest universities in the world. But do not the young men and women who have been herded into the newer universities like Wayamba, Rajarata and Sabaragamuva deserve something better than the beggarly provision they are being doled out at present in the name of university education?
It is the bounden duty of both the NEC and the UGC to advise the government as to where its priorities should lie unless of course (as I have said in my previous piece) they see no resource constraints in pursuing both options concurrently, which no one with an iota of practical sense will be prepared to accept. This is not to say that there aren’t low cost institutional and structural changes that would help the older universities to function like how reputed universities in other countries function, and there is no need to wait for an auspicious beginning to introduce those changes!
Courtesy - The Island (By - Eric J. de Silva)
