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Address by Professor B. R. R. N. Mendis

Excerpts of an address by Professor B. R. R. N. Mendis, Chairman, University Grants Commission at the Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology, Convocation 2004.

The Millennium Development Goals are as follows:

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger - (Health)

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equity and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality - (Health)

5. Improve maternal health - (Health)

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other disease - (Health)

7. Ensure environmental sustainability

8. Build a global partnership for development

The Millennium Development Goal No. 2 addresses the need to achieve Universal Primary Education.

Programmes	 University    No of students

01 Environmental 
Conservation &	    		Kelaniya	50
     Management		
02 Facility Management 
(Engineering)	    		Moratuwa	50
03 Transport & Logistics 
Management	    		Moratuwa	50
04 Molecular Biology and 
Biochemistry	   		 Colombo 	60
05 Industrial Statistics & 
Financial	    		Colombo		60
     Mathematics		
06 Statistics & Operational 
Research	    		Peradeniya	50
07 Computational 
Management		    Peradeniya		50
08 Marine & Fisheries 
Biology			Ruhuna			50
09 Arabic & Islam 
Studies		   	 SEUSL			50;

In Sri Lanka primary education is around 95% - 97% secondary Education is around 75%. However when it comes to tertiary education, certain elaborations must be made.

University education and post-secondary education in general in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka at the present moment in time we are faced with a grave problem. This is the problem of finding placements for those who are eligible for university education.

The University admissions in Sri Lanka are based on specific criteria governed by the national existing policy for university admissions which is based on a quota system, namely, all island merit quota 40%, district merit quota 55% and for educationally under privileged districts a (5%) quota. Students for Universities could be selected based only on the above criteria.

Applications for university admissions for the academic year 2004/05 based on the results of the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination 2004, were called from 12 August 2004 to 3 September 2004.

During this period a total of 34,002 students applied for university admission. This is more than the figure for the 2003 A/L Examinations, where 30,643 students applied for university admissions.

The minimum "Z-Scores" for the selection of students to various courses of study in respect of each district was released by the Deputy Minister of Education, Hon. Dinesh Gunawardena through the print and electronic media, just a short while ago today at 3.00 p.m. in the board room of the University Grants Commission.

With the release of the results of the 2004 G.C.E. (A/L) Examination, the University of Jaffna would commence programmes for all its Faculties on Monday, 20 December 2004. The other Universities would follow in December 2004 and early 2005.

As a result of this process the 34,002 students will know whether they are eligible to enter a particular course of study in a particular University in Sri Lanka. The Government policy is to give each student three different attempts at the G.C.E. (A/L) Examination in order to enter the university for higher studies.

It must be mentioned here that the university system in Sri Lanka for 2004 can accommodate only 14,850 students, for all the different course. So out of 108,415 who qualified, 34,002 applied and 14,850 will be selected. Education in University for those 14,850 students is free of charge.

We have a total of 39 different courses of study and different degree programmes distributed among the 12 conventional universities, namely the University of Colombo, University of Peradeniya, University of Kelaniya, University of Moratuwa, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, University of Jaffna, University of Ruhuna, Eastern University, Sri Lanka, Rajarata University of Sri Lanka, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka and Wayamba University of Sri Lanka.

There are also three undergraduate Institutes, namely the Institute of Aesthetic Studies (IAS), the Institute of Indigenous Medicine (IIM) and the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Ayurveda Institute (GWAI). All these Universities and Institutes that I mentioned above are admitting only 14,850 new students.

This means that out of a total of 108,415 prospective candidates 93,565 students are not selected to enter a university, even though they have obtained the minimum qualifications sufficient to do a degree programme in Sri Lanka. As a percentage, this amounts to 86.3%.

In other words, a large number of brilliant students are left out of university admission, through no fault of theirs but purely because there is no room in the Conventional University system.

If I present this information differently for Sri Lanka the participation rate for undergraduate education in the age cohort 20 - 24 years of the population is around 2.4%.

The Conventional Universities at present have 58,059 students enrolled in the 39 degree programmes. The Open University of Sri Lanka has 22,606 students but because their age of enrolment is higher, they do not come into the 2.4 percentage.

Even if we were to include the OUSL the percentage would still be below 3%. For purposes of comparison we should compare Sri Lanak's 2.4% with other countries, e.g. Malaysia 11%, Thailand 20%, Singapore 24%, United Kingdom 40-50% and Ireland 70%. The average for South East Asia is 8%.

The dilemma facing the University Grants Commission is how to increase this enrolment rate. Again if we look at the table a marginal improvement has been made, for example the 2003 A/L enrolment was 14,260, for 2004 the enrolment has gone up to 14,850 and this figure will go up to 16,255 for the 2005 A/L, which will commence in April 2005.

This increase in enrolments has been made possible by,

i. The increase in the numbers of enrolments where possible in the 39 degree programmes, and

ii. By the introduction of new degree programmes for 2004, for example, Bachelors Degree in Information and Communication Technology for 80 students, Bachelors Degree in Nursing for 25 students and a Bachelors Degree in Health Promotion for 25 students.

A small increase though, with the introduction of three innovative new degree programmes for 2004.

For 2005, there would be fourteen (14) additional new degree programmes for example, the introduction of five new degree programmes in the Para Medical Sciences with an admission of 935 additional students and also nine other new degree programmes with enrolment of 470 more students. These degree programmes would be as follows:

All these increases in enrolments by way of new degree programmes only bring about a marginal impact on the total number that qualify for university admissions.

Our second area of approach is to increase the enrolment for External Degree Programmes. Such programmes would be introduced in all Universities and it is envisaged that a minimum of 1,500 students be registered in each University and with this it will be possible to enrol a total of 18,000 students who are unable to enter the conventional Universities.

With an estimated enrolment of 3,000 to the Open University a total of approximately 21,000 students would find ways and means for tertiary education.

The Government of Sri Lanka is also addressing this issue with increase in enrolments in mind by establishing two new Universities.

The Uva-Wellassa University in the Uva Province of Sri Lanka with the admission of 200 students and also the elevation of the present Institute of Aesthetic Studies to a University of the Visual and Performing Arts with the possibility to increase annual enrolments.

New Faculties have also been developed where more students could be enrolled, for example, the Faculty of Healthcare Science at the Eastern University, Sri Lanka with an enrolment of 50 students, the Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science and Technology at the University of Ruhuna with an enrolment of 50 students, the Department of Law at the University of Jaffna with the enrolment of 50 students and a new Faculty of Arabic and Islamic studies with the enrolment of 50 students to the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka.

Having said all these there are still a large percentage of students who are left without place for university education. This is the reason why we are encouraged by the activities of Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology.

We congratulate you for helping Sri Lanka to produce 65 students who will graduate with B.Sc. (Hons) in Computing, B.Sc. (Hons) in Business Information Technology and B.A. (Hons) in Business Administration degree of Staffordshire University, U.K.

On behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka let me thank you for this endeavour. We are right now in the process of encouraging other degree awarding institutes in Sri Lanka to help with the post-secondary education burden.

It is envisaged that the private post-secondary, institutions will take in about 110,000 students in 2005. In addition to this, Sri Lankan students study in overseas institutions.

Teacher Training Colleges, Advanced Technical Institutes, Technical Colleges and Vocational Training institutes and NAITA Apprenticeships. If all these sectors are added and if the post-secondary participation rate is built up at the present enrolment figures, we could arrive at a participate rate of around 11.18 percent.

Let me congratulate the graduants who are receiving their degrees today and wish them well in their pursuit for employment. If I quote from the Fair Eastern Economic Review of 28th June 2001. The Search for 'Soft Skills':

"Instead of 'hard' skills like technical know how and tangible qualifications which are already abundant employers say that 'soft' skills like common sense, an analytical and innovative mind, a global outlook, leadership and interrupted skills including language, are rare and highly sought after in Hong Kong".

"Locals who can operate on a world stage are what we're looking for".

Certain positive attributes are identified among our university students. These are their high conceptual knowledge, their dedication, their submitted ego, their honesty and their studiousness. The employers, peers and others have identified certain negative features. It is pertinent here to mention some of these negative features.

There are the lack of self confidence, lack of decisiveness, very mild risk taking, lack of adversity, lack of communication skills and very mild competitive values. Students who graduate from Asia Pacific Institute of Information Technology must take note of these negative values.

I am sure your IT Training for Professionals by Professionals would as your cover suggests help you in "Getting you Started, Keeping you Going, and Taking you Further". At all these three levels, please remember to take necessary corrective action as to what with I have just eluded to.

Finally I want to leave with the graduands the true story of King Agbo the dutiful who ruled in Sri Lanka from 816 - 827 A.D. To his mother he showed such love and veneration that he is always spoken of as a pattern of dutifulness.

"The Mahavansa says he constantly attended to her wants by day and night, anointed her head with oil, washed her feet, clothed her with clean and soft garments, even washed her clothes himself. He made gifts of flowers to her and bowed down to her reverently.

He fed her with the daintiest food with his own hands and ate the remnants himself. He attended to her bedroom himself and laid out her bed carefully, anointed her feet with sweet smelling oil, after washing them and then he sat down near her bed till she was asleep.

Then he walked round her bed three times and bowed to the place where she lay. On leaving her he commanded her servants to attend to her carefully. All this he did constantly during her lifetime".

My final message to the graduands is - please do not forget your parents who have sacrificed so much for you.

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