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by Prof. J.N. Oleap Fernando (Based on a paper presented by the writer at the Silver Jubilee celebrations of the Bangladesh Chemical Society in Dhaka, Bangladesh on January 12 2003)

Human resource development in the Chemical Sciences to produce Graduate Chemists necessary for the development, analytical, teaching & research endeavours of Sri Lanka has proved to be a daunting and herculean task due to its high cost and lack of adequate academic manpower in the non fee levying conventional university system in Sri Lanka.

Seven of the thirteen Sri Lankan conventional universities produce only 70-80 honours (special) chemistry graduates annually although the demand is much more. The average per capita cost of this endeavour to the Sri Lankan Government is about Rs. 4 lakhs over 4 year period but the real cost in some universities which produce a mere 2-3 special Chemistry graduates annually easily exceeds double that figure. Furthermore even the oldest universities situated at Colombo and Peradeniya are able to produce no more than 25 of such graduates annually.

The Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon, which is the professional body of Chartered Chemists in Sri Lanka, identified the imperative need to provide an alternative but more economical and productive process about three decades ago at a time when the annual output from the four universities that were producing honours special chemistry graduates was about 35 - 40. The Institute therefore formulated a four year Graduateship Programme in Chemistry to be offered in two parts by it outside the conventional university system.

Prime target

Although the initial and prime target of the Institute in developing the programme was to provide a second opportunity to the adults, mature persons, late developers and those in middle level employment to better their prospects and upgrade their marketability, the number of such persons seeking admission to the programme has in practice been overshadowed by a large number of school leavers.

This is inevitable and expected in the Sri Lankan scene in which only 2% of the relevant age cohort are admitted to the conventional non fee levying State universities; to make matters even more ridiculous, this 2% excludes much more meritorious students from all schools in supposed to be educationally more advantaged districts due to the operation for over 30 years of a very discriminatory, unproductive and unjustifiable district quota system which continues with no new planning or fresh thinking, even 30 years later.

The innovative, far sighted and productive program to produce more Graduate Chemists at special degree level was commenced by the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon in 1979 and continues to date with no funding whatsoever from the Government or any other source.

The programme has however gone from strength to strength and has enabled nearly 340 Graduate Chemists to pass out over the past 20 years. Although the Institute did not have even on office and staff when the programme commenced in 1979 and does not even today have a single academic on its regular staff, all lectures and practical classes have been conducted by qualified persons from universities, research institutions, service institutions, corporations and industry (all of whom have post-graduate degrees which in many cases is a Ph.D) providing the necessary academic input during weekends and holidays.

What is most significant is the fact that the number of graduate chemists produce annually by the Institute over the past 6-7 years is more than that the largest number produced by any single state (non fee levying) university in Sri Lanka. The year 2001 production of 48 graduate chemists was a most satisfying all time record. The per capita cost for the four year programme complete with practicals is only Rs. 1 1\4 lakhs for the four year programme as compared to the Rs. 2.5 to 6 lakhs spent on a four year special degree programme of a conventional state Sri Lankan University.

University System

This example amply proves and establishes the fact that human resource development in Sri Lanka in the new millennium need not and should not necessarily follow the existing model of non fee levying State universities monopolizing the endeavour. Professional bodies can play a significant role in providing acceptable tertiary level education of a high standard outside the state sector. The fees levied for this purpose are very moderate and from an economical point of view should attract the attention of the government, the university system and funding bodies.

This new model deserves active study and analysis in the current situation in which the Sri Lankan Government is finding it extremely difficult to provide adequate financial resources to a highly bureaucratic, costly and highly politicised non fee levying state university system. It must be emphasised that a prime reason for the ability of the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon to provide this service at this economic cost is due to the absence of politicization, red-tape and bureaucracy that is endemic and coincidental with Sri Lanka's State University system.

These productive, successful and economical efforts of the Institute have borne fruit in a situation where the academic programme is conducted in rented out premises in a leading private secondary school in a Colombo suburb. When the current building programme of the Institute is completed by 2004, it will also be possible to provide even more satisfactorily not only the graduateship programme (now in its 25th year) and technician programme (now in its 30th year) in Chemistry but also additional study programmes in the Chemical Sciences at Certificate, Diploma and even Post Graduate level all under one roof in the Institute's own premises.

Noteworthy example

These successful efforts of very active members of our Institute of Chemistry is a noteworthy example and eye-opener to the Government as well as other institutions and bodies both in Sri Lanka and abroad to recognise the potential that lay within professional bodies to further human resource development in their own specialities at various levels very economically but without sacrificing necessary academic standards. In this connection it must be emphasised that from its very inception all the examination papers and answer scripts of the Institute's Graduateship Examination have been moderated/re-marked by external examiners appointed from abroad under the guidance of the Royal Society to Chemistry in the UK.

The recognition obtained for the Institute's Graduateship Programme from all sectors, both within and outside Sri Lanka, has been simply remarkable and very satisfying. The Royal Society of Chemistry, UK and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute grant automatic exemption for our Graduation Chemists and admit them direct to their Association (Graduate) Membership. A very large number of our Graduate Chemists has obtained post-graduate degrees (at even Ph.D level) from universities in Sri Lanka and abroad. Certain private sector institutions in Sri Lanka even prefer our Graduate Chemists to university graduates.

There is thus no doubt whatsoever that a professional body such as ours is able, competent and adequately placed to produce Graduate Chemists of a standard no lower in than those produced by recognized Sri Lankan universities The formal College of Chemical Sciences that was established by the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon two years ago is now even more capable than ever before to perform this task very soundly and well.

Imperative need

Earlier on in this article I referred to the imperative need for Sri Lanka to adopt newer and revised models in its path towards adequate human resource development in tertiary level. In this connection, I wish to make a suggestion for the earnest consideration of the Government the UGC and the newer universities. It is well known that the newer universities are finding it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to provide special degree courses in Chemistry to their students, some of whom could be their potential staff. Some of them are spending enormous sum of money to provide such courses far away from their original university sites for a paltry number of their students.

Rather than adopt such wasteful, meaningless and unproductive measures, the more convenient but effective pathway to produce Graduate Chemists so badly needed for their university would be to pay the very modest fees levied by the Institute of Chemistry, Ceylon and thus enable their selected students to follow courses equivalent to that of a special degree programme in Chemistry.

The costs

The cost to the university would be very much less and much better qualified graduate chemists would inevitably become available to them. These students will have the benefit of a wholesome, fully approved and quality assured special degree programme at a much lower cost to the university. This is obviously the new direction in which in particular the newer universities with the assistance of the UGC should redirect their energies to conveniently provide tertiary level education in chemistry to their selected students.

(The writer, a Chartered Chemist, has been in Sri Lanka university system for over 36 years and presently is Senior of Professor Chemistry of the Open University of Sri Lanka. He was Dean of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the Open University from 1993 to 1999.)

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