Is the state of the State Universities that bad?

Jayashantha Jayawardhana

In the Education Forum in the Daily News on October 12, 2009, Sampath Jayakody makes a negative observation of the state of the Universities.

He seems to have a very pessimistic attitude towards them. This may have resulted from the fact that Jayakody is totally in the dark about what is really going on in our universities; his opinion seems to have been coloured by the media reports that are far less reliable than they appear to the people who generalize like him and by the occasional negative remarks made by the university academics who have forgotten their roots.

I do not know whether Jayakody is an academic, an undergraduate or otherwise. But, I certainly doubt if an academic or an undergraduate may paint such a bleak picture on the current impasse of our universities.

I, being someone from inside yet, can state with confidence that the state of our universities is not as gloomy as Jayakody projects it to be. True, there are unruly elements that are hell-bent on making mischief. But, they are a minority; it is unfair to draw generalizations about the entire community of university students based on what a few students are doing.

When these students are excluded, the State universities are, by and large, safe and good. Also, that does not necessarily mean the students are not engaged in academic activities. Jayakody also goes on to propose that the undergraduates be charged some fee for their education. First, I would like to know exactly how much he proposes to charge a particular undergraduate for his/her education?

How does he want it charged? I dismiss Jayakody’s proposition both as vague and as ludicrous. It seems to me that Jayakody, has got the wrong end of the stick. For heaven’s sake, do not try to relegate these revered places to the position of private tutories.

However, I certainly endorse Jayakody’s opinion that the quality and the relevancy of the degrees offered by our universities should be improved so as to make graduates more employable. It is beyond dispute that theory is important, but it will not count very much when it comes to the employability of the graduates. So, it is absolutely necessary that a proper trade-off between theory and practice be maintained. Equally important is the development of communication skills in undergraduates. The ELTUs of these universities have a vital role to play in this process.

The majority of the students do not neglect their studies as often as some media and some people, prejudiced against them.

Ragging, no doubt, is too bad. I, have been deeply opposing it right from the beginning and have never wavered in my stance that it is primitive and barbaric. We must certainly do something about it. I condemn the students who try to protect the raggers and advocate for them. I will not approve of the undergraduates` engagement in political activities at the expense of their studies. But, I understand they have a right to pursue political activities. Unless they choose wisely, they will have to pay a heavy price for that.

I, being an undergraduate know most undergraduates have a hard time making their ends meet the meagre Rs. 2,500 the monthly installment of Mahapola scholarship or with a bursary of Rs. 2,000 per month. Most of them depend on their parents for food, accommodation and studies even as they receive scholarship money.

The option of doing a part-time job may be available for those in the metropolitan universities but not for those in the outstation universities. Also, there is the possibility that choosing that option might affect one`s studies. Therefore, charging some fee for their education, I believe, is out of question.

And those who comment on the university education should know about these ground realities and the political dynamics in the universities. Unless they know the facts and are perfectly aware of the economic realities, I think, they should comment on something else.