Why lose our promising children?

by Tissa Jayaweera

(October 15, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Parents and children, who qualify to enter university after Advanced Level results are announced, jointly rejoice. Of the number qualified, only 2-3 % enter the university system. Some join foreign degree colleges in Sri Lanka to obtain higher qualifications, some do numerous types of courses to further their education. Some get employed

There is a shortage of nearly 30,000 seats for university education in the country, based on results. The sad part is that we lose approximately 7000 young intellectuals who qualify in the GCE AL exams to overseas universities due to lack of openings in the university system of the country. This is revealed in the media, confirmed by Minister of Education in Parliament. What is shocking is universities of many countries having country status above, equal and below Sri Lanka, advertise to attract students to join them, offering numerous facilities, scholarships etc. , even offering degree in medicine, engineering and other lucrative professional disciplines.

Some schools and so-called ‘International Schools’ conduct classes for GCE OL and AL in the English medium. Most of the students who qualify leave the country. State education is supposed to be free. Others pay for higher education for the local degree / diploma awarding instructions. Those who join overseas universities drain approx USD 60 m a year from our Exchange system, legally and illegally. Some who obtain degrees from overseas universities, unable to obtain work visas return, but majority do not. We talk of the ‘brain drain’. We are losing promising students from age 18 upward due to lack of placement in our universities.

What is the solution to retain students within the country and save foreign remittances sent to the country by those employed overseas and convert ‘brain drain’ to ‘brain gain’? Encourage private universities? Some suggestions:

*Entrance to these universities to be controlled by the cut-off marks to be set by Ministry of Education based on the number of seats available and level of qualification offered.

*Private universities can determine their own fee structure.

*The students must sit for the same examinations as done at the state universities, under the supervision of Ministry of Education by paying an examination fee.

*Students will sit the same final examination for BSc, MBBS etc. as with state universities and

*In the case of MBBS, clinicals could be done in selected private hospitals, which have equivalent facilities as in state hospitals. Internship too could be done in a similar manner.

If this system is adopted, we will reduce youthful ‘brain drain’. Stop politicization of universities thereby resulting in no politically-motivated student unrest. Those who can afford will enter fee-levying universities thereby creating more opportunity for the less affluent to enter the state university system.

The country will have graduates to suit the employer- requirement and not graduates who are unemployable in the private sector and only employable by the state sector. Have enough, intelligent young people to steer country towards prosperity and save valuable foreign exchange to be utilized for development.

The value of the university system, its quality as well as respect for faculties could be re-established. - Sri Lanka Guardian