Technology based knowledge vital in country’s development

Dharmasiri ABYERATNE

“Knowledge generated through technology has become a vital factor in the country’s development,” said Higher Education Minister Prof. Wiswa Warnapala.

Prof. Warnapala was delivering the keynote address at the convocation of Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education (SLIATE).

According to the former UNESCO Secretary General Fredrico Mayo, the world is experiencing a ‘Third Industrial Revolution’, under which a wide variety of technological changes affect the people.

The SLIATE produces several hundreds of skilled personnel who do not face any difficulty in finding a job with a very an attractive salary. Employability is assured for them since the demand for their specific qualifications and training is very high, Prof. Warnapala said.

The common quantitative element in most countries is the increasing demand for access to higher education. In Sri Lanka, the problem of access is reflected by the Advanced Level Examination, according to which access to universities is in the region of less than 20,000 a year.

More opportunities should be created in the non-university sector to facilitate access while focusing on quality.

The rise in the number of universities in the country, though came in response to an increasing demand and the output of the graduates created a new situation, under which the demand has shifted from the traditional employers of graduates such as administration and teaching.

Therefore Universities were expected to adjust to this position and the requirements of those sectors demanded certain course modifications.

The Minister said most universities today provide courses specifically designed for training of future business and industry leaders.

Many Universities have now rejected the stricter academic training of single subject Honours courses in favour of multi-subject courses which try to avoid the divisions inherent in traditional learning.

“It is my view that it would be stimulating and more useful to the student who does not want to be confined to a single academic discipline, to gain a university training that will be of benefit in whatever career the individual may choose from the wide range of occupations available in the modern society”, he said.