Higher Education needs radical changes - SB

Dharma SRI ABEYRATNE

The Higher Education sector should be subjected to radical changes to meet global trends and goals of the present day higher education sector, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said. "Our Higher Education sector is changing slowly when compared to other countries with regard to global trends. Not only education mechanism, but also the attitude of academic and non- academic staff and the mentality of undergraduates have to be changed in line with global trends," the minister said.

Minister S B Dissanayake

Dissanayake was addressing a two day workshop on 'Re-creating and re-positioning of Sri Lankan universities to meet emerging opportunities and challenges in the Globalised Environment'.

It was jointly organised by the Higher Education Ministry and the University Grants Commission.

The minister said foreign students have to be attracted to our university system if Sri Lanka is to convert as a knowledge hub of Asia.

"The standards of our universities have to be upgraded gradually to become the knowledge hub of Asia. Then our universities will reach world standards gradually.

If the universities can be upgraded to reach world standards, more foreign students will enrol in our universities and foreigners will lecture at our universities," he said.

The minister said to reach these goals, our university system has to be converted in keeping with world trends. "Having identified world trends, our universities can be restructured and carry out changes. Almost all undergraduates are to be empowered with knowledge, abilities, capabilities and attitudes aiming to make them 100 percent employable when passing out from the universities." the minister said.