Can private universities be ignored?

Lionel Wijesiri

Sri Lanka is facing an education crisis. A rising and young population is stretching the facilities, while rapidly changing demands of the domestic job market are outpacing university reforms.

About 23,000 GCE A-Level qualified students enter State Universities annually while over 100,000 who pass the examination do not have a choice of pursuing higher education and are stranded. At a recent interview Minister of Higher Education claimed the Government cannot fulfil the full requirement of higher education and further added that no Government in the world has been able to do so.

An education consultant based here, who has worked on higher education systems in many Asian and Western countries is reported to have said recently that Sri Lanka has one of the most stressed university education systems in the world.

Those stresses include increasing numbers of students and a limited capacity, a lack of international competition owing to outdated curricula and teaching standards and a lack of connection between the curricula and the labour market requirements. The Government is making ongoing efforts to reform the curricula, implement controls on quality, improve linkages with the market, introduce modified admission systems and improve planning.

But making changes to the large and resistant public system will be difficult, education experts say. It will take time. A more immediate solution is needed.

Are private universities the answer?

Strangely, we have become all too familiar with this question. It has been asked many times by many people and debated in many forums, but could not so far reach a consensus of opinion. There were times when young people have been so carried away that lives have been lost and so many were injured. It's time we adopted a balanced and less rigid approach and try to get closer to a solution which would receive the maximum consent from all sections of society.

Recent debate amongst our intellectuals has suggested that there is certainly a case for the privatisation of university education, at least in part, and that this concept has the support of even the major opposition. As Minister S. B. Dissanayake said, "All the renowned universities in the world, like Harvard and Princeton are not state-owned universities; they are all private."

Quality drop

Since late 70s, the overall value of university graduates in the Sri Lankan employment market has declined sharply as a result of wrong political planning. For a large number of students, the dawning realisation that their degree qualifications are simply not valued in the workplace has come as a rude awakening.

The suggested solutions for the crisis took several forms. The most common of these was to find ways to free the education from State influence, at least partially, so as to be able to promote a more selective admissions policy or a more adventurous curriculum. State control, it was realised, sets up active impediments towards experimentation in education when it allows its academic elites to promote an agenda of conservatism and general stasis.

The concept of private universities is not new. Most foreign countries have a tradition of private universities. Even among our neighbouring SAARC countries, the concept was adapted and found very practical.

For example, after the Private University Act of 1992 over 10 private universities have been established in Bangladesh. All private universities must be approved by UGC and a permit obtained before operation. In India, privately funded institutions have existed since independence.

Many of these universities offer multidisciplinary professional courses similar to state funded universities; however institutions offering single stream specialization programs are also in existence.

Pakistan has over 80 private degree granting universities. All are supervised by the Higher Education Commission (HEC). Even in China, a number of joint-partnership private universities have been established.`

Reasons

There are many reasons why private universities should be established in Sri Lanka.

Private university education is important because, first and foremost, they offer time-demanded courses for the aspiring students. They are far ahead of the public sector in terms of using modern technology in education. Their curricula are updated using western methods and are revised regularly and promptly, while public universities lag behind in this respect. Private universities give students the skills required by the job markets which sharpens their fighting edge in the competition of employment.

Private universities are creating scope for higher study for the students who would otherwise give up education in the absence of opportunities. Public universities can accommodate only a small number of students. Those who are denied entrance may get a place in the private universities, though it would be a little costly. (Most of the universities have University Student Assistance Schemes to provide financial assistance to eligible students who are experiencing financial hardship which is adversely affecting their education. The State and private Banks too, could move in with soft long-term loans).

The students need not regret that their education will remain unfinished.

Private universities are saving a lot of foreign currency for the country. Good private universities attract students who, having economic solvency would otherwise fly to foreign lands. Given the option of studying the desired subjects in the country, they tend to choose the local ones. This gives them the advantage of living with their families and acquaintances in a familiar environment.

Foreign education is not only extremely expensive but also full of risk - the uncertainty of living and culture shock. The second factor, particularly, causes dilution of the indigenous values, which ultimately affects national life and widens the generation gap. The choice of a local university, on the other hand, reduces the risk of disintegration of traditional social codes.

Private universities have created a culture of close teacher-student contact, unlike public universities where the teachers are often accused of being officious and reluctant to talk with students outside their class schedules. Most private universities have the provision of mandatory class attendance and mandatory counselling for students by the teachers.

Students are awarded marks for attendance, just like they are for assignment, quiz, presentation, project and examination. It ensures frequent interaction between teachers and students, which has a positive impact on the learning process.

Teachers' sanction of extra time obviously strengthens student-teacher relationship.

In public universities we usually find the opposite picture.

A common allegation against private universities is compromising of quality. It is often alleged that they are merely business centres and care little about the quality of education. There may be stray incidents of malpractice of one kind or other but it is not applicable to all. If the Government allows only recognised foreign universities to have branches here and also set up a council to regulate the universities, this sort of malady could be minimised.

Generally, private universities are really committed to quality education despite having business concerns. They try to produce competent graduates with their earnest efforts by employing scholarly teachers with high qualifications. They offer salaries very much above the industry standards.

They strive to create a congenial atmosphere and use their own developed systems for sharpening their students' skills. The ultimate beneficiaries are the students.

Private universities are doing their job in their own way. If the regulatory body constantly monitors their activities, the irregularities in the private universities will be minimised.

Through necessary legislation and actions, it may create an environment in which all private universities will come into healthy competition with one another and improve their quality. This way the State Universities and private universities can deliver the goods, in the best fashion, for the nation.