Most valuable good in future will be knowledge: Dr. Amunugama to Green University students

Minister of Science, Technology, Research, Skills Development & Vocational Training, and Kandyan Heritage Dr. Sarath Amunugama, addressing an assembly of students and teachers at the Green University recently, said that the most valuable good in future will be knowledge. This meeting took place at the auditorium of the Green University, during an observation tour of the university by the Minister. Vice Chancellor Dr. E. A. Weerasinghe, NSBM Chairman P. Ranepura, Ministry Secretary Sandhya Wijebandara, Prof. Bharatha Dodankotuwa and others accompanied the Minister on this visit. 

Speaking further, Minister Dr. Amunugama said: “I never expected to hear today, on this stage, something I wrote when I was a university student [this was in reference to a lyric written by him for Pandith Amaradeva, which was played in accompaniment to a dance item performed by a student ensemble]. I thank you for giving me that opportunity.  Though I have held many positions during my career, what gives me most satisfaction is my association with universities. The time I spent studying at Peradeniya University, Harvard and the Sorbonne were tremendous experiences.  I must say that today, when I came to this Green University, I had the same feeling.

“Our country’s greatest asset is its children. After Independence, every Government has tried to secure a good future for them. Sitting before us today is a most important group of those children. The people of this country have made great sacrifices to bring you to this level.

“We have in this country a package of social welfare, which includes free education, free health services, and social insurance, not found in many other countries in the world.  Our greatest wish, as well as our challenge, is to secure a just future for the generations born in that environment.  We have to take decisions in the face of that challenge. When we look at the higher education scene in this country today, what we observe is that a large number of bright children face an examination of a few hours duration, and a part of them succeed in getting into state universities, while another part of equal ability get left behind. Our challenge is how to secure the future of this group. This university is an answer to such a challenge. 

“We must not assume that the State must do everything. At the time we were university students, we talked about minerals, the vegetation, the infrastructure etc. as the resources of a country. Today, knowledge is considered the greatest resource. We live in a knowledge economy. We need knowledge to transform physical resources to useful assets. Therefore, knowledge will be the most important good of the future. Our high literacy rate is an example to the world, in spite of other deficiencies. We rank high among the countries that have achieved the Millennium Goals.”