Features
Myopia in arts stream education in state universities in Sri Lanka
By Samanthi Senaratne and Sunil Dahanayake
(Continued from yesterday’s Midweek Review)
We noted improvements in English language teaching and learning at the arts faculties of the USJ and University of Sabaragamuwa. The Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) of the USJ offers two compulsory English courses with a credit value of 06 (i.e., 300 notional hours of teaching and learning) for all first year students and a compulsory English course of 01 credit value for all third year students. Further, compulsory credit courses in English language are offered in the second year for the students who follow their degree programmes in the Sinhala medium. The Department of English and Linguistics of FHSS, the USJ has pioneered in offering English as a degree programme to the students who have not studied English Language and Literature as a subject at GCE A/L. They have also pioneered in introducing an honours degree in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL). The University of Sabaragamuwa offers four compulsory courses in English with 10 credit value for the first and second year students of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Languages. These courses have been designed to provide a progression in grammar, speaking, listening, reading and writing in the English language to the students. Furthermore, the students selected to this faculty can study TESL as a minor subject in any honours degree and major or minor in general degree programmes. They also have the opportunity to specialise English in arts degree programmes, even if they have not studied English as a subject for the GCE A/L.
These changes made by the arts faculties have also contributed to improve the employability levels of their graduates. The AG’s report highlights that the FHSS of the USJ has been able to reduce their graduate unemployment rate from 52.1% in 2016 to 12.2% in 2018. We are of the opinion that all state universities of Sri Lanka need to include at least one compulsory subject in the English language and literature, preferably in the first two years, with formal examinations similar to the other subjects, in all faculties. When the university students master the English language skills, they can improve the other soft skills as their social interactions will increase both nationally and internationally.
These success stories show that the Ministry of Education and the UGC need to increase the opportunities available for the students to learn English. This includes the provision of qualified English teachers, teaching resources and learning opportunities at schools and universities. It is also required to increase the number of students who take English as a GCE A/L subject as they can be trained as English teachers, through teacher training colleges and universities.
Emeritus Professor and former State Minister for Higher Education, Dr. Rajiva Wijesinghe, who has made some effort to improve this situation, expressed the following comments on the 26th of November, 2013 – at a national conference on the theme ‘Supplementing ELT through Language Arts & Theatre’.
“We had also made plans for better use of the Regional English Support Centres to upgrade English Teacher Training, and provide ready access to degrees that would improve the professional capacities of English teachers. But all this was reversed, largely because of lethargy, and the incapacity to think and plan coherently which has so adversely affected our education system over the years. And, in addition, there is, I fear, also continuing suspicion of English, and a determination on the part of decision-makers to prevent our rural populations from having access to the language which is the only way of ensuring equity and equality of opportunity in the current age. In short, English continues to be the possession of the privileged, and in particular those in authority who use the language of nationalism to keep the less privileged in check, whilst, of course, ensuring that their own children have English, and English medium education, and often foreign degrees.”
We share similar sentiments and believe that all English Departments of state universities in Sri Lanka should understand the ground reality of arts education in Sri Lanka and focus on their legitimate role of propagating English knowledge among university and school students.
The Issue of Unemployment of Arts Graduates
One puzzling question comes to our mind is why these liberal arts graduates, produced by the arts faculties of Sri Lankan universities, cannot make a living, based on their education, and fit into the society with their degrees. Why they are sitting on the wooden platforms in front of the Fort Railway Station and various other public places is a question that needs to be answered by these academics who have expressed concerns against the AG’s report. As graduates of a state university, we feel sad, embarrassed and have sympathy for these graduates, who are doing ‘Satyagraha’ to get others’ attention on their unemployment and living issues.
Our opinion is that finding productive employment for the arts graduates of state universities in Sri Lanka has evolved over a period of time since the late 1960s. The youth insurrections in 1971, 1988 and current violent political student movements in state universities may be a result of these unemployment issues and hopelessness in youths due to limited opportunities available for them in terms of employment and resulting implications on their living standards. The government policy-makers, university administrators and academics in the universities are responsible in varying levels for the current state of the problems faced by Arts stream university students and graduates of Sri Lankan universities.
Based on the audit report of the AG and our experience, we have identified several interrelated issues associated with the unemployment of arts graduates in Sri Lanka as follows: lack of English communication and IT skills; limited opportunities for internships; reluctance to adapt to the social environment; and inflexible academic enrolment system in the universities.
The Inflexible University Academic Enrolment System in State Universities
Sri Lankan state universities are compartmentalised and adopt the model of offering degree programmes with one subject major. There are limited opportunities available for the students for inter-faculty and intra-faculty enrolments and doing more than one subject major similar to the universities in developed countries. This need has to be addressed by the UGC and the Ministry of Education, and the students of Sri Lankan state universities should be allowed to complete double major degree programmes within a four-year period instead of the conventional model of one major degree programme. These double major degree programmes are also identified as a mechanism allowing the university students for inter-faculty and intra-faculty subject enrolments. For example, a student in the Arts stream can be allowed to complete Business Administration, Accounting and Finance, IT, Law or Science as a second major. On the other hand, Accounting or Business Administration students can be allowed to complete a second major in English, Political Science, Sociology, Law or IT subjects. In developed countries, the students are allowed to complete two or three major subject areas for their undergraduate degree programmes. The inter-faculty enrolment will increase the importance of arts education in Sri Lanka. The arts faculties should be happy to take students from other faculties, such as Management, Engineering, Medicine and Science so that the university students will become valuable citizens enriched with ethics, values and their ability to think out of the box will be developed. They become productive citizens who can understand the problems of the society as they get the opportunity to study subjects such as Economics, Political Science, Literature, History and Sociology as part of the degree programme. The role of arts faculty academics will also be expanded under such academic structure. We feel the time is opportune for us to broadly review the existing system of education in state universities of Sri Lanka.
Further, we noted that some state universities namely Moratuwa, Wayamba and Uva-Wellassa do not have arts faculties. However, we noted that leading technological universities, such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the California Institute of Technology (CalTech) (USA) have faculties of arts and humanities as they provide the liberal arts knowledge required for the students, who major in technological subject streams. These two universities are ranked as the numbers 1 and 6 respectively in the world university rankings (QS Rankings, 2021). We suggest that every state university should have an arts faculty to inculcate the languages and social sciences for the students to understand the environment in which they work and live.
Developing Positive Thinking in University Students and Graduates
The students at state universities in Sri Lanka should be inculcated with the attitude to undertake the employment opportunities without considering the status of the job from the undergraduate days. They should be made aware that we live in an egalitarian society and not to be embarrassed about the status of the job. The undergraduates should be encouraged to do casual or part time jobs as self-financing opportunities to meet their needs while studying for the degree programmes. We noted that the university students engage in such part time jobs in Australia and the USA to finance their education, even the students coming from rich families. Doing such jobs for self-financing also provides the university students an exposure to various activities and organisations. The universities should provide the students with adequate computer labs with flexible hours to improve their IT skills.
Conclusions
The Auditor-General’s report on “Propensity to Tend Education under the Arts Stream and the Unemployment of Arts Graduates”, and subsequent dialogue indicate that Arts stream education should be reformed in schools and universities. We suggest that the improvement of the English language competency of school and university students should be a high priority of the country, in this context. We conclude that the lack of English language skills, inflexible student enrolment systems of universities and inadequate social skills have contributed towards the unemployment of arts graduates coming out of state universities.
In addition to the English language skills, the other areas that should be improved are IT literacy, inculcating positive attitude towards life and work, and provision of internship opportunities alongside subject specific knowledge and skills. The university students should be allowed to do double-major degree programmes with inter-faculty and intra-faculty enrolments. When there is a proper policy direction and pragmatic programmes for arts education, they can be used as the basis for fund allocation from the national budget to promote arts education in the country. The academics of arts faculties can play a lead role in policy-making, curriculum development and programme implementation. This will enable them to legitimately claim that they have contributed towards producing liberal arts graduates in true sense and these graduates will not be a burden to the society.
The word “myopia’’ is taken for this article from the classic article of “Marketing Myopia’’ published in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) by late Marketing Professor, Theodore Levitt in 1960. Levitt argues that the companies are in the process of producing goods and services without understanding the long-term needs and wants of customers and consequently perish in the long run. Likewise, if arts faculties of state universities in Sri Lanka fail to understand the long-term needs of the students, graduates and social, political and economic environment in which they work, they will be producing graduates without knowing the customer needs. It is better to be far-sighted and introduce necessary changes to be compatible with the aspirations of the society.
The first and corresponding author is Senior Professor in Accounting at the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura. Her email address is samanthisenaratne@sjp.ac.lk.
by Dr Gotabhya Ranasinghe
Senior Consultant Cardiologist
National Hospital Sri Lanka
When we sought a meeting with Hon Dr. Ramesh Pathirana, Minister of Health, he graciously cleared his busy schedule to accommodate us. Renowned for his attentive listening and deep understanding, Minister Pathirana is dedicated to advancing the health sector. His openness and transparency exemplify the qualities of an exemplary politician and minister.
Dr. Palitha Mahipala, the current Health Secretary, demonstrates both commendable enthusiasm and unwavering support. This combination of attributes makes him a highly compatible colleague for the esteemed Minister of Health.
Our discussion centered on a project that has been in the works for the past 30 years, one that no other minister had managed to advance.
Minister Pathirana, however, recognized the project’s significance and its potential to revolutionize care for heart patients.
The project involves the construction of a state-of-the-art facility at the premises of the National Hospital Colombo. The project’s location within the premises of the National Hospital underscores its importance and relevance to the healthcare infrastructure of the nation.
This facility will include a cardiology building and a tertiary care center, equipped with the latest technology to handle and treat all types of heart-related conditions and surgeries.
Securing funding was a major milestone for this initiative. Minister Pathirana successfully obtained approval for a $40 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank. With the funding in place, the foundation stone is scheduled to be laid in September this year, and construction will begin in January 2025.
This project guarantees a consistent and uninterrupted supply of stents and related medications for heart patients. As a result, patients will have timely access to essential medical supplies during their treatment and recovery. By securing these critical resources, the project aims to enhance patient outcomes, minimize treatment delays, and maintain the highest standards of cardiac care.
Upon its fruition, this monumental building will serve as a beacon of hope and healing, symbolizing the unwavering dedication to improving patient outcomes and fostering a healthier society.We anticipate a future marked by significant progress and positive outcomes in Sri Lanka’s cardiovascular treatment landscape within the foreseeable timeframe.
by Fr. Emmanuel Fernando, OMI
Jesuit Fr. Aloysius Pieris (affectionately called Fr. Aloy) celebrated his 90th birthday on April 9, 2024 and I, as the editor of our Oblate Journal, THE MISSIONARY OBLATE had gone to press by that time. Immediately I decided to publish an article, appreciating the untiring selfless services he continues to offer for inter-Faith dialogue, the renewal of the Catholic Church, his concern for the poor and the suffering Sri Lankan masses and to me, the present writer.
It was in 1988, when I was appointed Director of the Oblate Scholastics at Ampitiya by the then Oblate Provincial Fr. Anselm Silva, that I came to know Fr. Aloy more closely. Knowing well his expertise in matters spiritual, theological, Indological and pastoral, and with the collaborative spirit of my companion-formators, our Oblate Scholastics were sent to Tulana, the Research and Encounter Centre, Kelaniya, of which he is the Founder-Director, for ‘exposure-programmes’ on matters spiritual, biblical, theological and pastoral. Some of these dimensions according to my view and that of my companion-formators, were not available at the National Seminary, Ampitiya.
Ever since that time, our Oblate formators/ accompaniers at the Oblate Scholasticate, Ampitiya , have continued to send our Oblate Scholastics to Tulana Centre for deepening their insights and convictions regarding matters needed to serve the people in today’s context. Fr. Aloy also had tried very enthusiastically with the Oblate team headed by Frs. Oswald Firth and Clement Waidyasekara to begin a Theologate, directed by the Religious Congregations in Sri Lanka, for the contextual formation/ accompaniment of their members. It should very well be a desired goal of the Leaders / Provincials of the Religious Congregations.
Besides being a formator/accompanier at the Oblate Scholasticate, I was entrusted also with the task of editing and publishing our Oblate journal, ‘The Missionary Oblate’. To maintain the quality of the journal I continue to depend on Fr. Aloy for his thought-provoking and stimulating articles on Biblical Spirituality, Biblical Theology and Ecclesiology. I am very grateful to him for his generous assistance. Of late, his writings on renewal of the Church, initiated by Pope St. John XX111 and continued by Pope Francis through the Synodal path, published in our Oblate journal, enable our readers to focus their attention also on the needed renewal in the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka. Fr. Aloy appreciated very much the Synodal path adopted by the Jesuit Pope Francis for the renewal of the Church, rooted very much on prayerful discernment. In my Religious and presbyteral life, Fr.Aloy continues to be my spiritual animator / guide and ongoing formator / acccompanier.
Fr. Aloysius Pieris, BA Hons (Lond), LPh (SHC, India), STL (PFT, Naples), PhD (SLU/VC), ThD (Tilburg), D.Ltt (KU), has been one of the eminent Asian theologians well recognized internationally and one who has lectured and held visiting chairs in many universities both in the West and in the East. Many members of Religious Congregations from Asian countries have benefited from his lectures and guidance in the East Asian Pastoral Institute (EAPI) in Manila, Philippines. He had been a Theologian consulted by the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conferences for many years. During his professorship at the Gregorian University in Rome, he was called to be a member of a special group of advisers on other religions consulted by Pope Paul VI.
Fr. Aloy is the author of more than 30 books and well over 500 Research Papers. Some of his books and articles have been translated and published in several countries. Among those books, one can find the following: 1) The Genesis of an Asian Theology of Liberation (An Autobiographical Excursus on the Art of Theologising in Asia, 2) An Asian Theology of Liberation, 3) Providential Timeliness of Vatican 11 (a long-overdue halt to a scandalous millennium, 4) Give Vatican 11 a chance, 5) Leadership in the Church, 6) Relishing our faith in working for justice (Themes for study and discussion), 7) A Message meant mainly, not exclusively for Jesuits (Background information necessary for helping Francis renew the Church), 8) Lent in Lanka (Reflections and Resolutions, 9) Love meets wisdom (A Christian Experience of Buddhism, 10) Fire and Water 11) God’s Reign for God’s poor, 12) Our Unhiddden Agenda (How we Jesuits work, pray and form our men). He is also the Editor of two journals, Vagdevi, Journal of Religious Reflection and Dialogue, New Series.
Fr. Aloy has a BA in Pali and Sanskrit from the University of London and a Ph.D in Buddhist Philosophy from the University of Sri Lankan, Vidyodaya Campus. On Nov. 23, 2019, he was awarded the prestigious honorary Doctorate of Literature (D.Litt) by the Chancellor of the University of Kelaniya, the Most Venerable Welamitiyawe Dharmakirthi Sri Kusala Dhamma Thera.
Fr. Aloy continues to be a promoter of Gospel values and virtues. Justice as a constitutive dimension of love and social concern for the downtrodden masses are very much noted in his life and work. He had very much appreciated the commitment of the late Fr. Joseph (Joe) Fernando, the National Director of the Social and Economic Centre (SEDEC) for the poor.
In Sri Lanka, a few religious Congregations – the Good Shepherd Sisters, the Christian Brothers, the Marist Brothers and the Oblates – have invited him to animate their members especially during their Provincial Congresses, Chapters and International Conferences. The mainline Christian Churches also have sought his advice and followed his seminars. I, for one, regret very much, that the Sri Lankan authorities of the Catholic Church –today’s Hierarchy—- have not sought Fr.
Aloy’s expertise for the renewal of the Catholic Church in Sri Lanka and thus have not benefited from the immense store of wisdom and insight that he can offer to our local Church while the Sri Lankan bishops who governed the Catholic church in the immediate aftermath of the Second Vatican Council (Edmund Fernando OMI, Anthony de Saram, Leo Nanayakkara OSB, Frank Marcus Fernando, Paul Perera,) visited him and consulted him on many matters. Among the Tamil Bishops, Bishop Rayappu Joseph was keeping close contact with him and Bishop J. Deogupillai hosted him and his team visiting him after the horrible Black July massacre of Tamils.
Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement
By Gomi Senadhira
senadhiragomi@gmail.com
“You might tell fairy tales, but the progress of a country cannot be achieved through such narratives. A country cannot be developed by making false promises. The country moved backward because of the electoral promises made by political parties throughout time. We have witnessed that the ultimate result of this is the country becoming bankrupt. Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet.” – President Ranil Wickremesinghe, 2024 Budget speech
Any Sri Lankan would agree with the above words of President Wickremesinghe on the false promises our politicians and officials make and the fairy tales they narrate which bankrupted this country. So, to understand this, let’s look at one such fairy tale with lots of false promises; Ranil Wickremesinghe’s greatest achievement in the area of international trade and investment promotion during the Yahapalana period, Sri Lanka-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (SLSFTA).
It is appropriate and timely to do it now as Finance Minister Wickremesinghe has just presented to parliament a bill on the National Policy on Economic Transformation which includes the establishment of an Office for International Trade and the Sri Lanka Institute of Economics and International Trade.
Was SLSFTA a “Cleverly negotiated Free Trade Agreement” as stated by the (former) Minister of Development Strategies and International Trade Malik Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate on the SLSFTA in July 2018, or a colossal blunder covered up with lies, false promises, and fairy tales? After SLSFTA was signed there were a number of fairy tales published on this agreement by the Ministry of Development Strategies and International, Institute of Policy Studies, and others.
However, for this article, I would like to limit my comments to the speech by Minister Samarawickrama during the Parliamentary Debate, and the two most important areas in the agreement which were covered up with lies, fairy tales, and false promises, namely: revenue loss for Sri Lanka and Investment from Singapore. On the other important area, “Waste products dumping” I do not want to comment here as I have written extensively on the issue.
1. The revenue loss
During the Parliamentary Debate in July 2018, Minister Samarawickrama stated “…. let me reiterate that this FTA with Singapore has been very cleverly negotiated by us…. The liberalisation programme under this FTA has been carefully designed to have the least impact on domestic industry and revenue collection. We have included all revenue sensitive items in the negative list of items which will not be subject to removal of tariff. Therefore, 97.8% revenue from Customs duty is protected. Our tariff liberalisation will take place over a period of 12-15 years! In fact, the revenue earned through tariffs on goods imported from Singapore last year was Rs. 35 billion.
The revenue loss for over the next 15 years due to the FTA is only Rs. 733 million– which when annualised, on average, is just Rs. 51 million. That is just 0.14% per year! So anyone who claims the Singapore FTA causes revenue loss to the Government cannot do basic arithmetic! Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I call on my fellow members of this House – don’t mislead the public with baseless criticism that is not grounded in facts. Don’t look at petty politics and use these issues for your own political survival.”
I was surprised to read the minister’s speech because an article published in January 2018 in “The Straits Times“, based on information released by the Singaporean Negotiators stated, “…. With the FTA, tariff savings for Singapore exports are estimated to hit $10 million annually“.
As the annual tariff savings (that is the revenue loss for Sri Lanka) calculated by the Singaporean Negotiators, Singaporean $ 10 million (Sri Lankan rupees 1,200 million in 2018) was way above the rupees’ 733 million revenue loss for 15 years estimated by the Sri Lankan negotiators, it was clear to any observer that one of the parties to the agreement had not done the basic arithmetic!
Six years later, according to a report published by “The Morning” newspaper, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) on 7th May 2024, Mr Samarawickrama’s chief trade negotiator K.J. Weerasinghehad had admitted “…. that forecasted revenue loss for the Government of Sri Lanka through the Singapore FTA is Rs. 450 million in 2023 and Rs. 1.3 billion in 2024.”
If these numbers are correct, as tariff liberalisation under the SLSFTA has just started, we will pass Rs 2 billion very soon. Then, the question is how Sri Lanka’s trade negotiators made such a colossal blunder. Didn’t they do their basic arithmetic? If they didn’t know how to do basic arithmetic they should have at least done their basic readings. For example, the headline of the article published in The Straits Times in January 2018 was “Singapore, Sri Lanka sign FTA, annual savings of $10m expected”.
Anyway, as Sri Lanka’s chief negotiator reiterated at the COPF meeting that “…. since 99% of the tariffs in Singapore have zero rates of duty, Sri Lanka has agreed on 80% tariff liberalisation over a period of 15 years while expecting Singapore investments to address the imbalance in trade,” let’s turn towards investment.
Investment from Singapore
In July 2018, speaking during the Parliamentary Debate on the FTA this is what Minister Malik Samarawickrama stated on investment from Singapore, “Already, thanks to this FTA, in just the past two-and-a-half months since the agreement came into effect we have received a proposal from Singapore for investment amounting to $ 14.8 billion in an oil refinery for export of petroleum products. In addition, we have proposals for a steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million), sugar refinery ($ 200 million). This adds up to more than $ 16.05 billion in the pipeline on these projects alone.
And all of these projects will create thousands of more jobs for our people. In principle approval has already been granted by the BOI and the investors are awaiting the release of land the environmental approvals to commence the project.
I request the Opposition and those with vested interests to change their narrow-minded thinking and join us to develop our country. We must always look at what is best for the whole community, not just the few who may oppose. We owe it to our people to courageously take decisions that will change their lives for the better.”
According to the media report I quoted earlier, speaking at the Committee on Public Finance (COPF) Chief Negotiator Weerasinghe has admitted that Sri Lanka was not happy with overall Singapore investments that have come in the past few years in return for the trade liberalisation under the Singapore-Sri Lanka Free Trade Agreement. He has added that between 2021 and 2023 the total investment from Singapore had been around $162 million!
What happened to those projects worth $16 billion negotiated, thanks to the SLSFTA, in just the two-and-a-half months after the agreement came into effect and approved by the BOI? I do not know about the steel manufacturing plant for exports ($ 1 billion investment), flour milling plant ($ 50 million) and sugar refinery ($ 200 million).
However, story of the multibillion-dollar investment in the Petroleum Refinery unfolded in a manner that would qualify it as the best fairy tale with false promises presented by our politicians and the officials, prior to 2019 elections.
Though many Sri Lankans got to know, through the media which repeatedly highlighted a plethora of issues surrounding the project and the questionable credentials of the Singaporean investor, the construction work on the Mirrijiwela Oil Refinery along with the cement factory began on the24th of March 2019 with a bang and Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and his ministers along with the foreign and local dignitaries laid the foundation stones.
That was few months before the 2019 Presidential elections. Inaugurating the construction work Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said the projects will create thousands of job opportunities in the area and surrounding districts.
The oil refinery, which was to be built over 200 acres of land, with the capacity to refine 200,000 barrels of crude oil per day, was to generate US$7 billion of exports and create 1,500 direct and 3,000 indirect jobs. The construction of the refinery was to be completed in 44 months. Four years later, in August 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers approved the proposal presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe to cancel the agreement with the investors of the refinery as the project has not been implemented! Can they explain to the country how much money was wasted to produce that fairy tale?
It is obvious that the President, ministers, and officials had made huge blunders and had deliberately misled the public and the parliament on the revenue loss and potential investment from SLSFTA with fairy tales and false promises.
As the president himself said, a country cannot be developed by making false promises or with fairy tales and these false promises and fairy tales had bankrupted the country. “Unfortunately, many segments of the population have not come to realize this yet”.
(The writer, a specialist and an activist on trade and development issues . )
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