The Sri Lankan legislators are as usual
dreaming in Technicolor in wishing to have world class Universities under the
Free Education system
If we have a world class University or
two what are the implications? Firstly more resources will have to be spent on
that, at the expense of fewer resources for other Universities. It is a zero
sum game!! If that is a free University (tuition largely free) then those who
go there have both a heavily subsidized education, AND they are able to command
a higher income both at home and overseas.
Even if one presumes the BEST OF THE
BEST will enter this institution, they are unfairly favored over other less
gifted students, and as with gifted students, their intention is to get further
education overseas to specialize in their fields, they will NOT have employment
in Sri Lanka with their foreign scholarship PhDs. They will therefore only work
overseas, with little benefit accruing to Sri Lanka of a world class
University, except as an aid giving organization to the host Country of the
emigrant.
It is therefore NONSENSE for the
Minister of Higher Education to even make these nonsensical statements that are
meaningless, and designed to mislead aspirants to a world class education for
free!
Bearing in mind the interconnected world
we live in, it must be understood that a quality education can only be had for money,
except in the exceptional circumstances of gifted students who can somehow scholarship
their way to the top anywhere in the world, and have only themselves to blame if
they are unable to achieve their personal life goals.
The death knell of free Tertiary Education
is upon us, as even the UK where I had a free Tertiary Education, has now become
a very expensive place to study, and one finds it hard to find any country, possibly
with the exception of Cuba that demands its emigrants send back their income to
the Government, where there is free education.
What is clear is that the Private Universities
in Sri Lanka MAY actually become world class if they are able to attract better
academics, and relevant courses.
2 comments:
you seem to have finally hit the nail on the head. well done!!
unfortunately in this money grubbing world subsidized state activities and projects will be abused by those that seek to profit!!! public works and public services are susceptible to low life profiteers, and some sri lankans tend to be world class in this field
if they are cracking down on female tourists with tattoos, they should crack down also on migration consultants and make a concerted policy to retain human resources, our most valuable resource, within the country. The policy should cover issues of education, remuneration, living standards, family life, etc.
English language fluency is only going to exacerbate the migration problem unless there is a policy to retain our people!
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