A few blog entries previously I highlighted
the problem with regards to Tech and University Students and how one set of
students lose out when their College changes from a Technical College to a
University. Just in the way that the Katubedda Institute of Technology, a
highly respected establishment where all their diploma holders were snapped up
for employment, have now been relegated as NDT in the Moratuwa University, who
will now be removed from there with the establishment of a new NDT in Homagama,
the fate will be the future for Hardy. The NDT has 350 students for each of three
years for a total of 1050. Whilst for Engineering there are about 500 students for
each year, and for 4 years a total of 2000 in the University Engineering Faculty.
NDT students will generally get jobs within
a short while whilst BSc Eng students prefer to go overseas, as their qualifications
are recognized overseas, and as the Minister of Irrigation recently stated, are
finding it hard to fill their vacancies due to the lack of applicants, possibly
for this very reason.
Hardy Tech which is a highly respected
college in Ampara will now be given full University (degree awarding status)
and along with it the current diploma programs will face step motherly
treatment and students may feel that their entitlements will be compromised.
It is interesting to note that the decision
to move NDT to Homagama was taken in 2000, and saying they are now going to
move it is purely a political statement aimed at getting students to stop
agitating, though in reality it will be at least a further 4 years before this
act can actually take place due to practical difficulties in building a new
Technical College and associated infrastructure including student accommodation
and other boarding facilities. The biggest lie is that the Govt. has NOT allocated
funds to build this new university which will cost a huge amount to finish as there
are many common amenities that will have to newly constructed.
It is student lives that the Govt. is
playing with. They should be more sensitive and find a lasting solution. It is
important that as noted before the whole question of Diploma holders and Degree
holders must be looked in context. It is ironic that NDT students have a
greater likelihood of finding immediate employment locally due to the practical
experience they gain as part of their course. Furthermore the expected salary
is lower than a university student and therefore makes them more marketable,
and less of a threat! As noted above with graduates moving overseas due to better
remuneration, the vacancy problem is still to be resolved.
1 comment:
This is the usual practice of when there is a problem make a statement that will diffuse the problem.
The fact that the statement made is merely a dream or imagination is not of concern to this Govt. which makes a practice of proclaiming dreams, that will never become reality, and people in turn are fooled into this false sense of belief in the lies!
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