New University, new hopes

A casual glance through the employment columns of our sister paper The Sunday Observer will reveal that a large number of jobs are available in the labour market. Some of these ads are repeated week after week, a clear indication that there are no suitable takers for some jobs. This alone is enough to gauge that Sri Lanka's education system does not produce suitable candidates for real-world jobs. Another glaring fact is that only around 15,000 students can be admitted to universities each year, although thousands more qualify to enter. There are no alternative educational paths or job opportunities for these youth, victims of the mismatch between job market requirements and the theory-oriented academic content taught in schools. It was a great mistake to curtail vocational training subjects at school level - they are not merely job skills, they are life skills as well.

One may argue at this point that vocational training was always available in the country, which has several excellent technical training colleges. But many employers here and abroad were reluctant to recognize these qualifications even though the standards at our vocational and technical training colleges are very high. It is in this context that we should commend the Government for establishing the country's first Vocational Training University, which will award degrees to those who complete its courses as opposed to a simple diploma. This will mark a new beginning in the country's tertiary education sector. Seventy six students will be in the first batch and more students will be enrolled as the university expands.

It will enable the students who have been unable to enter conventional universities after the GCE (A/L) examinations and those who had dropped out before the exam, to study further in their respective fields. A university degree will enable them to be more successful in the local and foreign job markets, as there will be worldwide recognition for the Vocational University and its degrees. With the Government favouring skilled job migrants over the non-skilled variety, it will ultimately pave the way for more qualified skilled workers to seek jobs abroad.

As President Mahinda Rajapaksa told the University's opening ceremony on Tuesday, the University will be a boon especially for rural students who had very limited opportunities for higher education if they did not get selected to university. Their limited knowledge of English was another inhibiting factor, as most jobs for school-leavers require a good command of the language. We hope the Government's English as a Life Skill program would address such concerns.

It is not yet clear whether there will be more such vocational training universities or whether some of the other technical/vocational colleges would be upgraded to university level. If such a step is taken, rural students will not even have to come to Colombo for pursuing higher studies in vocational training. The programs at this University should also be widened in scope over the next few years to offer the widest possible spectrum of courses to prospective students. It should also consider offering short-term courses for those already employed to learn new skills such as woodworking and motor mechanism, Do-It-Yourself (DIY) style.

In the meantime, educational reforms should be aimed at reducing the gap between job market requirements and the educational system. It is well known that many university graduates are hopelessly ill-equipped to face the employment market as they do not have the skills sought by the private sector. The Tharuna Aruna program has done a commendable job in imparting such skills to a large number of graduates who had then been recruited by well-known companies.

Universities and technical/vocational colleges should be linked for research projects, with students and lecturers undertaking exchange visits. This will benefit both institutions in the long term. The private sector too could be involved in these research efforts.

We hope the vocational university students will not follow certain traits of their academic university colleagues, such as frequent clashes, union rivalry, ragging and politically-motivated protest campaigns. They should maintain discipline and peace within the University at all times, with studies being the sole objective.

The authorities should also get input from private sector employers as to what type of courses would be most beneficial for the employment market. That is where the graduates of this institution will be heading and unemployment could be reduced further if they have jobs waiting for them once studies are over.