Programme
*Value added component
*Leadership, positive thinking
*First batch 12,000
*28 locations
Higher Education authorities will go ahead with their proposed programme of providing leadership training to university entrants as scheduled today.
The first batch of 12,000 of the 22,000 new entrants will enroll themselves for three weeks’ training on leadership and positive thinking at 28 locations. Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake dismissing criticisms levelled at the scheme, said that this is not military training but a leadership and positive thinking training programme for university entrants from this year.
Accordingly 22,000 students who will be enrolled for university education this year will undergo this training at 28 locations islandwide. The only difference is these locations will comprise 18 army, two navy camps, two air force, four cadet and two police training centres.
“Just because these are military locations the critics are trying to interpret it as military training,” Higher Education Ministry sources said.
The ceremonial launch of this programme will be held at Temple Trees under President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s patronage today.
moreSeveral academics hail the government initiative saying that the university output should be able to face the future challenges in a positive manner. Universities all over the world have modified and added new components to university education system from time to time.
Even in Sri Lanka earlier the qualified students were directly enrolled for university education. But seven years ago a system of orientation programme was introduced to the university system in Sri Lanka. Now two additional components, English education and IT have been included into the orientation programme.
Even the external degree programmes have been value added with English and computer studies. Professor Ariyarathna Athugala of the Kelaniya University said that the proposed leadership training is a value added component of the orientation programme that was introduced to the university system seven years ago.
Professor Athugala said our environment keep on constantly changing and it is up to the authorities to adapt themselves to the changing environment.
The leadership and positive thinking training to be provided to University entrants would help young graduates to orientate themselves with the changing socio, cultural and economic environment, he said.
Sri Lankan universities were the only place where it produces outputs continuously even though those out puts had no market opportunities. Because of this pathetic situation the governments in power were compelled to absorb them however much they were unproductive, Prof Athugala said.
The private sector which was considered to be the engine of growth didn’t like to employ the graduate output from most of Lankan universities saying the products do not match with the market requirements.
“The introduction of an orientation programme some years ago in to the university educational system and value addition to it with new components of English and IT studies has brought some strength and market opportunities to our undergraduates.” Higher Education Secretary Dr Sunil Jayantha Navaratne said that the proposed leadership training programme will help those entering universities this year to counter unruly elements responsible for ragging. He said that those following the programme will have the strength to meet the challenge.
“Sri Lanka is not the only country which has introduced such leadership and orientation programme for university entrants. Sri Lanka is late and it is better than never to introduce such a programme. Several other countries inclusive of countries in the region have already introduced such a training and orientation programme thereby giving their graduate a good market opportunity. The latest move by the government with leadership and positive thinking training will enhance the market opportunities to our young undergraduates in the country and abroad.”
Govt denies Court suspends leadership training
The government denied that the Supreme Court has suspended a government plan to make leadership training compulsory for students who qualify for university education.
Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navarathna in a telephone interview with News.lk dismissed the story that the Supreme Court has ordered the suspension or postponement of the leadership and positive thinking training programme meant for new university entrants.
Several local and foreign media had reported that the Supreme Court had ordered the Higher Education Ministry to delay implementation of the training programme until a ruling is made on a legal challenge to the scheme.
“In fact the Supreme Court had requested whether we can postpone it at least by a week, but we have made all the arrangements for the programme to begin on Monday, May 23. We even have incurred an expenditure of Rs 90 million for the programme. The trainees will be given residential three weeks training with uniforms, food and lodgings and the total cost of the project will be Rs 185 million,” Dr Navarathna said.
Dismissing the allegation of providing military training to university students, Dr Navarathna emphasized that the training to be provided are very much needed to build the personality, leadership skills, conflict resolution and other skills to change the mindset of graduates to make them the real leaders.
“This is not a military training at all but a leadership skill development training to make them dependable on their own. Unfortunately to accommodate such a large number of people defence establishment are the only place where facilities are available. So this is the best option we have,” Dr. Navarathna said.
Dr Navarathna reminded that under the current context the cream of the cream, only around five percent of the children who enter schools annually qualify to enter universities. “Our annual intake to schools is around 400,000. On an average over 200,000 students sit for GCE (A-L) examination which is highly competitive and only 22,000 (around 5 five percent) gain entry to national universities.”
“The fresher in a university has the A-L mentality because of disgorging what they learnt attitudes without any exposure to extra curricula activities. Our university system has not been properly designed to suit the present needs. This has aggravated the situation by making the graduates unemployed because they are highly backward and highly dependable on others without any practical experience or personality skills to face the challenges,” Dr Navarathna said.
“We have now re-oriented the entire educational system to break this GCE (A-L) mindset of university students to make them suitable for the job market. If we go to the market there are enough job opportunities but many of our university students go as unemployed graduates. This system should be changed, the cream of the cream five percent of student population who enter universities in future should be able to change this situation,” he said.
Dr. Navarthna emphasized that what the government expected was to make the graduates to be the development brigades of the country but not the fighting brigades carrying out placards in their hands asking for mere jobs in unproductive sectors which is a burden to the country. This would ensure the products of our universities in future as smart, he said.
Courtesy - Daily News by M Ali Hassen
