Uni education: OUT OF THE BOX

Professor J N Oleap Fernando PHD (Imperial College, London) Chartered Chemist; Chartered Scientist

Recent events and happenings in Sri Lanka's tertiary education sector has caused much alarm and consternation. These include the decreasing contribution to Education from the Government Budget, the inability to enhance the emoluments of University academic staff, the unnecessary and inordinate delay in students being admitted to and passing out from Sri Lankan Universities due to strikes and other causes which have amounted to an over four month additional delay in 2012, the University admission list based on the 2011 A/L examination being not yet ready due to the Z score problem, and the consequential Supreme Court decision to enhance the University intake by 25 percent, the delay in release of 2012 A/L results until January etc.

State university system

In this context, I am writing to bring to the notice of the Sri Lankan educational authorities and the Sri Lankan public of a relatively simple manner in dealing with the problems associated with tertiary education at least in the field of such a popular and demanding discipline such as Chemistry. Similar examples and experiences may be available and/or similar situations, may be developed and organized in other areas as well.

Undergrads working at a laboratory

The College of Chemical Sciences(CCS), which is the educational arm of the professional body of Chartered Chemists in Sri Lanka (Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, incorporated by Act of Parliament No 15 of 1972) has since 1979 conducted a Graduateship programme in Chemistry at the level of a Special (Honours) Degree in Chemistry. About 900 Graduate Chemists have passed out with increasing frequency from 30 batches and the current annual pass out number of about 75-90 Graduate Chemists amounts to as much as 45 percent of Sri Lanka's total production of Special Degree level Graduate Chemists which is about 180-200 including the output from six conventional universities.

Graduate Chemists passing out of the College of Chemical Sciences, though not possessing a formal university degree have been able to be recognized and accepted for PHD/MSc degrees and for employment in many countries right round the world including USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand etc.

What is most significant to note in this connection is that through this progrmme Graduate Chemists are produced by the CCS without any delay whatsoever within four years of their admission. Admission to the programme is possible as soon as A/L results are released unlike in the state university system in which the time lag could be well over one year.

The cost incurred by a CCS student is presently in the region of only Rs 3.5-4 lakhs over the entire four year period which surely must be the lowest cost for a degree level programme of any type in any part of the world.

The quality of the CCS Graduate Chemists is very well recognized and question papers are moderated and answer scripts remarked by UK professors under the coordination of the Royal Society of Chemistry, UK on a regular basis.

Number of qualified students seeking admission to the CCS has reached gigantic proportions in the current year and in order to accommodate all who wish to register for this high quality and well recognized programme, the College of Chemical Sciences has decided to run an additional duplicated programme on week-days as well. The state Universities find it impossible to increase the number of special degree chemists they produce to more than about 100 annually.

The average cost incurred by the government through the UGC to produce a single Graduate Chemist through the state Universities is reported to be around Rs 1,5 - 2 million which is about 5-6 times what is needed to educate such a student to a similar level at the CCS. Is it therefore not obvious and clear that if the government wishes to increase the number of special degree chemists produced in Sri Lanka in a very convenient, effective and economical manner, then all that has to be done by it through the UGC is to select a reasonable number of A/L qualified students (through whatever system it desires and adopts) and send any such willing students who desire and opt for this alternate path to the CCS.

Unconventional opportunities

The government could thereby enable an additional number of students to pursue an equivalent degree level programme at the CCS at a cost that would be about 15-22 percent of what it now spends at a state university. Particularly, in the current context when the UGC has to take in 25 percent more students for every programme, it could use this opportunity available very conveniently at the CCS to admit and satisfy an additional number with no difficulty whatsoever.

The CCS could take in at least 100 students in January for its weekday programme. Similar opportunities may be available or providable at other institutions and in other programmes as well.

The time has come when the educational authorities of Sri Lanka should think out of the box with a wider horizon and look for unconventional opportunities in unconventional institutions in unconventional ways in order to minimise its present problems in an unconventional manner at a very economical cost.