Expanding university education

By Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala

1.0 Problems of placement in universities for students passing GCE A/L exams

 Today there is a lot of frustration among the youth due to many students passing the GCE A/L exams being unable to enter universities as a result of limited number of places. This is also an absolute necessity to create new skills and make available the numbers for such sectors such as the IT and BPO industry, which has made India a destination for world outsourcing contracts and earns valuable foreign exchange for the country.

One of the best opportunities available for Sri Lanka is to follow the Indian model of having affiliated colleges to universities which have been very successful and produced a large number of university graduates in India in different fields of specialisation. This would immediately increase the intake to university degree courses via the college system, with entry regulated by the University Grants Commission, all syllabi approved and exams conducted by the Universities; while the education will be undertaken by the colleges at an affordable cost to all students. In the event there are students who are in need of funding, scholarships will be provided by the state and these students would be provided with the same facilities as in the case of those who are in the universities.

The affiliated college system is a well tried and tested system of our closest neighbour India and has benefitted a large number of students wanting to pursue higher education.

2.0 The Indian affiliation system of colleges

India has universities established under the University Grants Commission Act, which have territorial jurisdiction over a particular area. For example, in Pune, they have University of Pune which has jurisdiction over three districts, Pune, Ahmednagar and Nasik. Similarly there is the University of Mumbai, having Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nanded and Solapur districts in the State of Maharashtra.

These are all State Universities which are established by the State Government but recognised all over India and the world. All these universities have affiliated colleges in their jurisdiction. Pune University has more than 700 colleges affiliated to it. The total number of students stand at approximately 496,000. The syllabus and the examination are decided on and examinations conducted by the university. The final degree is awarded by the university.

The responsibility of conducting classes regularly is on the colleges. There are two terms in a year. The first term starts in June and ends in November while the second term starts in December and ends in April. The colleges conduct graduation and post-graduation classes and have teaching and other staff as per the norms of the Government.

The universities only conduct the Post Graduate Classes and are responsible for the administrative and academic responsibilities.

For getting an affiliation to a college, there are norms prescribed by the University and after fulfilling them, the affiliation is granted.

2.1 Entry to the college is given by the respective colleges themselves. They have 10+2+3 system which means that up to 10th standard, a student remains in school. There is an examination taken by the respective boards of secondary education for the 10th standard. Students who pass this examination go to the first year of junior college i.e. in the 11th standard. At the 12th standard, there is examination taken by the Board of Higher Secondary Examination and after passing this examination, a student takes admission to the first year of graduation in any college of his choice subject to the marks obtained in the 12th standard examination. Admissions are given by the respective colleges only and not centralised.

However this system is for the traditional, Arts, Commerce and Science courses. For engineering, there are separate engineering colleges affiliated to the concerned university and admissions to these colleges are centralised i.e given by the central admission authority of the Government.

The same is the case for medical education. For medical and engineering, separate centralised admission tests are conducted. The medical colleges are affiliated to the medical university which is separately established.

2.2 There are two types of colleges, grantable and non-grantable. Grantable means they are given grants by the Government and hence the fees for these colleges are quite low. However the engineering colleges, barring one or two Government colleges and medical colleges except one or two Government medical colleges, are totally on non-grant basis. Therefore the fees are quite high. However there is a fee committee established by the Government to regulate the fees for these colleges.

2.3 Examinations are conducted by the university and all colleges have to follow them. As colleges are affiliated to the University, all examinations are conducted by the university and students in the colleges have to sit for them. There are very few postgraduate students on the university campus. All graduate students have to take admission in the colleges only. This means that number students in colleges are quite high as compared to students in universities, as the university is not allowed to conduct undergraduate classes on their premises.

2.4 Affiliation norms are there for university colleges regarding the land, building, teaching and non-teaching staff, library, laboratory and so on. A proposed college has to give a proposal before 31 October to the university and the Government. After visits by the committee and scrutiny of documents, permission is granted from the following June to commence sessions. Every year applications have to be made to the university for the continuation of an affiliation along with prescribed fees. A college becomes eligible for permanent affiliation to the university after the completion of six years and after fulfilling certain norms.

3.0 Details of other university colleges

3.1 Over the last seven decades the Delhi University has grown into one of the largest universities in India. At present, there are 14 faculties, 86 academic departments and 79 colleges spread all over the city, with about 220,000 students

3.2 Initially the University of Pune had a jurisdiction extending over 12 districts of Western Maharashtra. However, with the establishment of the Shivaji University, Kolhapur in 1964, the jurisdiction of the university was restricted to five districts; namely Pune, Ahmednagar, Nasik, Dhule and Jalgaon. Out of these, two districts - Dhule and Jalgaon are attached to the North Maharashtra University established in August 1990.

During the year 1949, there were only 18 colleges affiliated to the University, with an enrolment of over 8000 students. Thereafter, the number of colleges increased, and in 1994-95, the university had 41 postgraduate departments, 209 affiliated colleges and 118 recognised research institutions, with an enrolment of 170,000 students for both the undergraduate and postgraduate courses in different faculties.  

3.3 Callicut University, founded in 1968, is located in Thenjipalam, Kerala, India. The university maintains off-campus centres and many affiliated colleges in five districts; Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, and Thrissur.

There are 300 affiliated colleges in total, consisting of colleges in training, arts and sciences, paramedical, medical, engineering, oriental title, music, management studies, fine arts, nursing, dental, pharmacy, hotel management, law, ayurveda, physical education, and else. Callicut University has integrated facilities in the campus complex. There are guest houses, a botanical garden, student unions, cafeterias, book shops, cyber cafes, cultural events, an observatory, seminar centre, a library and student spaces.

3.4 Seven private colleges were affiliated to the University of Madras during 1858 - 1871. During this Academic Year the University of Madras had 115 affiliated colleges viz. arts and science – 95, management – 13, education -6 and physical education - 1. Many of the arts and science colleges conduct evening classes as well to cater to the demands of the working students.

About 150,000 students are on roll in various departments and affiliated colleges.

 

4.0 Way forward for Sri Lanka:

4.1 The Universities Act should be changed to provide for university colleges to be set up and the relevant regulations made.

4.2 All universities need to be given the authority to approve university colleges with the more reputed universities playing a major role in making this scheme a success.

4.3 Private education institutes currently in operation should be encouraged to set up affiliated colleges and banks should treat these as priority projects for purpose of funding. The BOI should provide tax incentives to these education colleges.

4.4 Professional bodies incorporated by an Act of Parliament such as accounting, management, IT, marketing, human resource management etc. should be permitted to conduct degree programmes and also set up affiliate colleges to conduct the courses.

4.5 Government buildings and schools premises must be made available in the afternoon session for the university colleges when required in the initial stages.

4.6 A scholarship fund needs to be set up by the Government to fund needy students.

4.7 The intake to the colleges should be decided by the University Grants Commission similar to selection to other universities.

4.8 First year target should be 40 to 50 colleges with a minimum of 7500 to 10,000 students and this would be increased to 75 colleges with 25,000 students in the second year and 100 colleges with 50,000 students in the third year.

4.9 The degree certificate will be issued by the universities to which the colleges are affiliated and the exams will also be conducted by the universities.     

5.0 Benefits to the country and economy

5.1 More students would be able to obtain a degree qualification.

5.2 An increased number of educated youth and skilled persons will be produced in the country.

5.3 Valuable foreign exchange going out of the country will be saved.

5.4 Local professors and lecturers in universities will be amply rewarded for their hard work and this will result in stopping the brain-drain which is a serious problem for the country.

5.5 Those studying in overseas universities will be encouraged to come back to Sri Lanka and start their own colleges and this will attract expatriate Sri Lankans back to their home country.

5.6 All these colleges need to be set up as totally non-profit organisations where the profits are ploughed back into the business and funds from the private sector encouraged to be channelled by giving them tax benefits as this would immensely develop the human resource skills of the country on a fast-track basis.

5.7 Will attract more foreign direct investment to Sri Lanka to start knowledge-based projects due to availability of skilled youth in sufficient numbers which is in short supply at present.

5.8 The burden of higher education on the government will be reduced to a great extent and taken over by the colleges, while the Government could be a facilitator and control the quality and fees of these colleges through the universities and the UGC.

5.9 More colleges could be set up for skills that are in demand and will advance economic and industrial development, commerce and the services sector as well as the plantation and agriculture sectors.

5.10 The youth of this country will see a future in their mother country to earn a degree and this will also ease the problems of parents who have to mortgage whatever assets they have to send their children overseas for higher education.

5.11 Employers will be happy that they will be in a position to find sufficiently skilled persons for employment in their businesses.

6.0 Conclusion

At a time that many advanced level students and their parents want to enter Sri Lankan universities, it would be possible to cater to their demands by implementing the affiliated college system which will provide additional places for those who can’t enter local universities. By implementing these new thoughts and ideas that have been tried and tested in neighbouring countries; it will benefit the majority of Sri Lankan citizens. We should also keep in mind that cost is an important element and only local degrees and professional qualifications can provide an answer to this question. Let us also save our valuable foreign exchange that is going out of this country and take action to save this by providing local solutions to our problems.

I consider this proposal a very beneficial project to those qualifying at the A/L exams and a scheme that has been tried and tested in India over a long period of time to be a great success and would bring immense benefit to the youth of Sri Lanka.

 

(The writer, FCA, FCMA, FCMA UK, is President Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, Past President Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka, Past President South Asian Federation of Accountants, Past President Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka and Founder President AAT Sri Lanka.)