Value of research

An academic has called for the promotion of a research culture within the country’s university system. A news item we carried in yesterday’s edition quotes Dr K Rajendram of the Eastern University as saying that research findings are important for the country’s development process. He also lamented that local universities are doing less research work compared with foreign universities.

We couldn’t agree with him more. If there is one thing we have been lagging behind since Independence is research work in this country leading to new innovations. Sri Lanka may be well known for her tea the world over. But hardly by any other product brand name. It is time we begin to think in terms of serious research to have our own inventions recognized on a global scale. Sri Lanka has all these years only been operating assembly plants. It is time we started doing something on our own. The new era of independence it is hoped would spur us on to be inventive and flaunt the Sri Lanka brand proudly to the world on one of own products.

It is hoped that the incentives granted in the Budget for research to the university academic staff would act as a catalyst for more and more research work that would be productive in the context of the country’s development needs.

Like Dr Ranjendram pointed out research is part and parcel of foreign universities and these research are based on the development needs of those countries. We too should adopt the same methodology and link all research work to aid our development plans. We need research now more than at any other time in our post independence history to come out with innovative systems to apply them for development.

While making use of the imported technology for our development needs our researchers should also discover ways where we could adapt and improvise through our own findings. This, while obviating the need for importing foreign technology and expertise would also save costs and spur on our researches to uncover more innovative systems and methods that could be adapted to local situations.

It is essential that our research be development oriented. We have over 50 research institutes in the country but regrettably nothing of worth have come out of these institutions. The Tea and Rubber Research Institutes have been in operation for many decades, but have we come out with any revolutionary discovery to enhance production or value addition?

These institutes should be resurrected from their moribund state and turned into dynamic bodies that would produce the goods.

Research should also be extended outside the formal system. Sri Lankans are well known for their innovative talents and enterprise. Time and again we read in the newspapers of some invention or other by some youth in some corner of the country. Not long ago there was the case of a village youth who created a mini hydropower power plant on his own initiative.

There was another instance where a TV relay station was assembled by a youth with local material. That was the last anyone heard about them. Such creative talent should be encouraged and fostered and opportunities provided for the blossoming out of these talents. Most of the world’s renowned scientists stepped on their inventions by accident. Some of them even did not have a formal education. We may also be having in our midst geniuses whose talents are left to remain dormant without being exploited. They should be recognized by the State and all encouragement given to allow free rein to their talents. As mentioned before the country needs all the talent it could muster at this crucial juncture. Steps should be taken to uncover and nurture such talent.

The Government should embark on a special program to assist youth who show promise in this regard. In the meantime we should raise the standard of our research to meet the modern era. More incentives should be given to our research teams in the universities and outside to retain them in the country.

President Rajapaksa has time and again called for Lankan professionals abroad to return to the country and help in the development drive. While this is a timely invitation we should also see to it that the brain drain is stemmed at this end. Today we see this happening especially in the construction sector where some overenthusiastic minister is promoting mass migration of our labour.

With the incentives granted for research in the Budget the Government has realized the vital need for our own inventions to cater to the country’s development needs. Hopefully this measure would be sustained over the years so that one day very soon we would be self reliant in the wherewithal and expertise to meet this end.