Proving theories

HAS the time finally come for the higher education system of this country to get its act together? Official indications are promising, with the Government readying to bring the relevant Act to Parliament before the Budget. Sweeping changes could come into effect as early as next month, which means that public universities and their stakeholders will have to pull up their socks and get ready to ride a wave of international proportions.

The Government is sounding most optimistic with Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake expressing little opposition from the political front – save for the JVP-led student unions, which have been regularly staging protests. Speaking at a recent business council meeting, he remarked confidently that only 1% of the student population really opposed private universities and detailed how he had received letters from students placed under remand saying that they were unaware of the political implications as they were forced to partake in protests under pressure.

With the way seemingly clear, the Ministry will be revamped. Under the new Act, the Higher Education Ministry will be broken into three categories; namely State, Professional and Non-State. The State section will overlook the current public universities and Non-State will include the private institutions that will offer both standard and technical education, while the Professional component will grade Chartered Accountants, CIM, CIMA and other profession-related qualifications. There will also be two boards under the Ministry, but of independent function, that will provide quality assurance and accreditation to organisations listed under the Ministry.

A common ranking system including private and public universities will be adopted for the convenience of local and international students. With new power, the Higher Education Ministry will also have the authority to regulate private degree and course providers already operating in the country. Interestingly, there will be no price regulation but entrance will only be for 10-15 institutions initially.

The idea is to create a one-stop-shop for higher education with the Board of Investment to encourage private investors with streamlined processes. Plans are to initially allow 5% of foreign students into public universities with hopes to double that within a couple of years. Six universities have been earmarked to be developed as international institutions, including Colombo, Jayewardenepura, Peradeniya, Kelaniya, Ruhuna and Moratuwa. Jaffna, Rajarata and Eastern Universities will be upgraded in the second phase of the programme.

Impressive as these plans are, the proof of the cake they say is in the eating, which prompts a healthy level of scepticism as well. One major flaw in this set up is that ultimately all foreign universities that wish to enter Sri Lanka have to get approval from the minister in charge of the portfolio. This could lead to more corruption and politicisation of an already sensitive issue. The appointments to the different boards should also be done independently, with their accreditation, ranking and other quality assurance mechanisms done in a transparent and accountable manner.

Engaging with public universities is important and an eye will have to be kept on pricing. The worst fears of public university students – that their degrees will be substandard simply because they didn’t cost millions – have to be mitigated. Deciding on entrance criteria, scholarships and marketing will have to done with broad consensus, with all stakeholders being given the chance to present their point of view.