Research-based university for plantation sector: An unparalleled reform and learning experience

The setting up of an exclusive research-based university for the plantation sector will pay rich dividends to the country in general and to the younger generation in particular – Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

In terms of agriculture and plantation sector, the country has absorbed only 3.6% of the science graduates. Agriculture and science graduates are attracted by the education sector to the extent of 40.4% and 39.3%. respectively. Conversely, 29.8% of the agriculture graduates are absorbed to the agriculture related jobs. A significant percentage of agricultural graduates are employed in unrelated jobs compared to their training at the university. This could be considered a serious issue that needs the immediate intervention of the policymakers, as an agriculture degree is one of the most expensive programs

By J.A.A.S. Ranasinghe

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has already declared a revolutionary vision by introducing sector-oriented universities to the country which will be a major milestone and a timely, needed and long-felt requirement after the introduction of free education in the country by C.W.W. Kannangara. 

Despite numerous studies carried out by different institutions, political decisions, and remedial measures taken in the past, the country’s higher education system still demands a dramatic change to gain a higher return of investment (ROI) made on higher education and also to produce gainful employment opportunities to the graduates on their leaving from the universities and a tremendous boost to the national economy from the contributions of the graduates, which is woefully lacking in the present system. 

Graduate unemployment has become an unending socio-economic issue for the last few decades and it has created two T 56 cultures in 1971 and 1987 and toppled the governments in power and solutions provided in the forms of education reforms had been only cosmetic measurers creating more socio-economic problems. Except for a few disciplines such as medicine, dental surgery, veterinary medicine, law, architecture, quantity survey, it is well known fact that the graduates find it extremely difficult to find employment opportunities. 

The ad-hoc solution of giving employment as ‘development officers’ to the graduates in the public sector is a case in point and it has neither improved the quality of life of the graduates nor lessened the financial burden to the treasury nor the economic development. The enormous mismatch and disparity between the competencies, skills, attitudes, aptitudes of the graduates with the demands of the labour market has led to this impasse.

The cumulative impact of this dramatic change was that the country needed the services of the scientists and technologists to cater to the emerging trends of the country for its economic development. The acute dearth of required human resources has contributed to the inadequate value additions, low efficient technological processes and high cost and time to train the graduates even after the so-called ‘on the job training’ to handle complexities of the industrial and manufacturing sectors.

President’s intervention 

In this background, the President’s intervention vision to establish sector-oriented universities utilising the existing sector-oriented institutes is a giant stride in the right direction. It is a historical decision in the annals of the higher education reforms similar to that of free education system introduced in 1956. 

Utilising existing sector-oriented institutes and their human and physical resources does not require much-needed additional capital expenditure to the Government. On the other hand, the new reforms provide an excellent internal environmental exposure backed by the industry to produce graduates with the required expertise to the respective sectors with practical knowledge so that the graduates can be gainfully employed more productively immediately after their graduation. Additionally, it will be a huge financial relief to the Government to produce a graduate with required competencies and skills at a significantly reduced cost, as the existing human and physical resources can be used with no additional cadre recruitments and infrastructural investments. 

It is pertinent to mention here that the President’s vision of setting up of sector-based universities is in keeping with the cardinal observations spelt out in the ‘Tracer Study of Graduates – University of Sri Lanka’ carried out by the UNESCO in 2018 (ISBN 978-955-583-142-0) in which the need for a skilled and job oriented higher education system has been amply emphasised. This study has made startling revelations about the pathetic story of the graduates in its 20 observations. 

If one would revisit the above observations made in relation to science and agriculture graduates, it has highlighted among other things the following. In terms of agriculture and plantation sector, the country has absorbed only 3.6% of the science graduates. Agriculture and science graduates are attracted by the education sector to the extent of 40.4% and 39.3%. respectively. Conversely, 29.8% of the agriculture graduates are absorbed to the agriculture related jobs. A significant percentage of agricultural graduates are employed in unrelated jobs compared to their training at the university. This could be considered a serious issue that needs the immediate intervention of the policymakers, as an agriculture degree is one of the most expensive programs. 

These findings give a strong message to the education and university authorities to revisit the teaching-learning content process of their teaching programs to produce qualified graduates who fit the market realities. Indeed, a potential mismatch between skills possessed by the graduates (supply) and that demanded by employers is perceived as a significant obstacle in finding a job for most of the graduates. The expansion of higher education by setting up universities should be based on proper projections of local and international labour market requirements. 

Dedicated university for the plantation sector 

It must be stated here that the establishment of the sector-oriented university concept by the President will be an effective way of meeting the reforms. Out of the three sector-oriented universities for the plantation, health, and education by the President, the plantation sector directly contributes to the national economy. 

It is to be mentioned here that the setting up of an exclusive university for the plantation sector was approved on principle by the President and the Cabinet Ministers following the submission of a cabinet memorandum submitted jointly by the Minister of Plantations and Minister of Education with the tacit consent of the State Ministers of Tea Industries, Rubber Industries, Coconut Industries, Sugar, and Minor Export Crops. With this aim in mind that an expert committee was appointed in the latter part of June 2021 to study the observations made by the Minister of Finance and report the possibility of the establishment of a fully-fledged research oriented university for the plantation sector.

National Task Force 

The committee consists of 11 members representing the two Secretaries of the Ministry of Plantation and Education, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, Additional Secretary of the Ministry of Plantation, Dean of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, Senior Lecturer of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Ruhuna, two Directors of the Tea Research Institute and Coconut Research University, Deputy Director (Research), Rubber Research Institute, Director, National Institute of Plantation Management and the Legal Officer of the University Grants Commission.

The task of this Committee is to study the plantation-related degrees offered by already existing universities and other institutes, possible deviation of research institutes from their main mandate of research, and the possible proposal to the conversion of other non-research institutes to sector-oriented universities.

The plantation sector has moved to export-oriented value-added product markets while maximum land productivity and new agricultural process are demanding to be competitive in international markets. It is also required to change the formulae and process on par with the ever-changing various regulations and socio-economic standards and therefore, it is essentially required to transform the traditional higher educational and plantation sector into a technology and research-driven industry. 

If one could study the plantation-related degree programs conducted by the universities, it is clear that only less than one-third of the study programs focus on the plantation sector which is again conducted by the academics and not by the experts in the field. Students are normally sent to the field for a specified period during which they will be mostly visitors and not gain first- hand experience. The Finance Minister’s observation has very clearly mentioned that research institutes involve with generating and disseminating new technology for the sector and academic institutions such as universities obtain new technology from those institutes to increase the skills of the students. 

These observations themselves suggest that the students are trained by a third party and highlighted the value of the sector-oriented universities in addition to the observations made in the tracer report. Therefore, the committee should make a note to fulfil the existing gap of paucity of graduates ready to work in the plantation sector either planting or values addition fields, perhaps by offering B-Tech degrees deviating from the traditional degrees.

Research institutes’ role to be expanded

The Minister of Finance has again raised a very valid point of possible deviation from the original objectives of the crop research institutes. Crop research institutes have been established exclusively to conduct the research and development activities for the development of the planation sector. Along with the issue of production of competent and skilled graduates required by the industry, the committee may suggest modalities to transform the crop research institutes into an industrial research university where students are closely work on industrial research and problems under the guidance of well trained and experienced experts in the field retained in the research institutes after a completion of essential basic sciences. 

This will be similar to the medical degree effectively conducted in Sri Lanka where medical students are extensively guided by the consultants in hospitals for more than 50% of their study time. This type of arrangement could definitely strengthen the research institutes as the model assures a team of large number of students continuously involve in research and development activities under the senior researchers who have also retained in the institutes as they will regain their salary benefits which were higher in the research institutes three decades ago. 

As a veteran politician, the Minister has thought deeply on possible proposals from other similar organisations too for similar transformation into sector oriented universities. It is the view of the writer that if there are potential research institutes which covers a specific important industry which is responsible for the national economy significantly should be equally accommodate to the same package as it also will offer the same economic advantages.

Major characteristics of the proposed plantation research university

• The proposed university should develop and conduct its educational programs to develop plantation technologists with skills and experience in the plantation sector university without being subjected to major structural reforms and not following the similar degree programs conducted by the other universities who cater to the requirement of academics required by the relevant sectors. It also should assure the strengthening of the services currently provided to the plantation industry by the existing research institutes/arms without deviating from research culture to academic culture. This university would be a dual-purpose industry-oriented specific University (serving both industry needs and higher education) addressing the issues in both supply and value chains.
  
   
• Should provide an opportunity for the people who are presently working in the plantation sector to develop their professional skills and qualifications. 
  
   
• The university should attract postgraduate students to conduct time-bound target-oriented research to cater to the industry needs under the supervision of senior scientists of PCRIs. Hence additional workforce will be available for research whilst providing human resources to cater to industry needs. Being a unique setup, the proposed University has the possibility of being a regional centre of excellence and a hub in plantation research and thereby earning foreign exchange through various means (e.g. international research grants and foreign students). Further, international collaborations will assure high-quality research outputs.

Economic and financial benefits of the model

There will be no additional capital cost requirement due to the proposed amalgamation as existing infrastructure and facilities at crop research institutes are quite adequate to conduct educational programs. Further, the Treasury has the opportunity to save a huge sum of annual capital allocations that need to be spent on infrastructural facilities, if a separate university is established as the educational programs are run by the existing research institutes. 

The Treasury could save millions of rupees annually, as the cost of production of a graduate will be reduced by more than half in the proposed university, as Treasury provides only the salary difference to conduct the newly introduced education programs. Therefore, the proposed university will save a huge sum of money annually spent on higher education. 

Empirical studies reveal that the Government annually increases the number of intakes of agricultural, science and technology students to provide more opportunities to the advanced-level qualified students. Instead of producing and accumulating the same degree holders, by transferring only a percentage of those allocated additional funds to the proposed university, a set of employable graduates who could directly and confidently join the industry and contribute to the national economy without a burden to the Government. In addition, with the inclusion of these graduates into the sector, the plantation sector gradually become a technology-driven industry offering higher economic gains to the country. 

We must salute the President and the Government for taking such a revolutionary policy decision towards the development of the plantation sector as well as research institutes that should have been taken a few decades ago. Therefore, the expert committee has an inalienable responsibility to guide the government to establish a new form of productive sector-oriented industrial university instead of transforming research institutes to another traditional university. The Government also will have the challenge to overcome the resistance created by some groups with personal interests from the crop research and higher education sector. 

It is fervently hoped that the task force will have the scientific research foresight and intellectual sagacity to weigh the benefits arising out of this breakthrough proposal more proactively and galvanise the setting up of an exclusive research-based university for the plantation sector which will eventually pay rich dividends to the country in general and to the younger generation in particular. 

(The writer is a Productivity Specialist and Management Consultant. Views contained in this article are the professional opinion of the writer. He can be contacted via [email protected])