Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Education. Show all posts
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
"Plumber Earns More than Engineer"
We have, in recent months, observed increasing attention being paid to Sri Lanka’s education system. The US Ambassador recommended that private universities be allowed to exist alongside public universities. Last week, the CEO of Imperial Institute of Tertiary Education echoed these views, views that are valid and fairly universal.
However, while we focus on the tip, we have been ignoring the iceberg… There is mainstream tertiary education (represented by colleges and universities). And there is also education off the beaten track – vocational education. In the latter case, the obstacle is not so much the lack of earning potential or opportunity, but the lack of social status associated with many vocations.
Take construction craftspersons, for instance. A member of the National Education Commission confirms that “a mason, carpenter or plumber is able to earn more than a graduate civil engineer”! This has much to do with the distorted demand-supply position. The Minister of Construction & Engineering Services rightly seeks to remedy that by certifying and glamourising the low-supply trades. Call a mason a ‘Masonry Technician’, he suggests; apparently, a rose by some other name would smell sweeter.
For a training certificate to infuse that elusive social status, it needs to be ‘recognised’. That’s where the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) system comes in. Dr T A Piyasiri, Director General of Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission, opines that the NVQ system addresses this concern by:
(a) Making the courses relevant, so that institutes churn out competent craftspersons for various occupations and
(b) Formulating a unified qualifications framework, wherein competency standards will be specified for 100 different occupations by 2008.
Dr Piyasiri confirms curricula, standards and assessment criteria have already been formulated for 45 of these occupations. These include masons, carpenters, plumbers and household electricians.
However, while we focus on the tip, we have been ignoring the iceberg… There is mainstream tertiary education (represented by colleges and universities). And there is also education off the beaten track – vocational education. In the latter case, the obstacle is not so much the lack of earning potential or opportunity, but the lack of social status associated with many vocations.
Take construction craftspersons, for instance. A member of the National Education Commission confirms that “a mason, carpenter or plumber is able to earn more than a graduate civil engineer”! This has much to do with the distorted demand-supply position. The Minister of Construction & Engineering Services rightly seeks to remedy that by certifying and glamourising the low-supply trades. Call a mason a ‘Masonry Technician’, he suggests; apparently, a rose by some other name would smell sweeter.
For a training certificate to infuse that elusive social status, it needs to be ‘recognised’. That’s where the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) system comes in. Dr T A Piyasiri, Director General of Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission, opines that the NVQ system addresses this concern by:
(a) Making the courses relevant, so that institutes churn out competent craftspersons for various occupations and
(b) Formulating a unified qualifications framework, wherein competency standards will be specified for 100 different occupations by 2008.
Dr Piyasiri confirms curricula, standards and assessment criteria have already been formulated for 45 of these occupations. These include masons, carpenters, plumbers and household electricians.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Education beyond Universities
With literacy hovering around 90%, Sri Lanka is the most literate country in South Asia. The country has also made admirable strides towards achieving universal primary school completion. With this, the country seems poised to achieve the Millennium Development Goal pertaining to education, which is certainly admirable...
But what happens thereafter? What is the state of tertiary, i.e. post-secondary, education? (Tertiary education typically includes undergraduate & postgraduate education and vocational training). Some answers to these questions were provided at Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s public lecture on ‘Tertiary Education Opportunities in Sri Lanka’ recently.
Speaking on the subject, Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera, member of the National Education Commission, authoritatively said, “The first preference of parents still is to send their children to conventional universities.” Oft-quoted statistics indicate that only about 15% of those who obtain qualifying marks for entry into the university system can actually do so, due to the paucity of seats.
While the number of students entering universities is meticulously tracked, there is life beyond the universities, Prof. Wijeyesekera points out. Seventeen professional associations conduct tertiary education courses and 21 ministries also do so for their employees! As is apparent, the present technical education and vocational training system has developed in an unsystematic manner.
Decrying this fact, Prof Wijeyesekera expresses the need for a unified national system and for increased co-ordination. This is sought to be accomplished by bringing all modes of tertiary education under one umbrella.
That’s where the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) system comes in. With nationally identified skills standards and competency based assessment, the NVQ system also provides for upward mobility. The NVQ certificate will be of value since quality is being assured through nationally-identified skill standards, quality management systems and accreditation, promises Prof. Wijeyesekera. It will indicate that the holder has acquired the skills and competencies that he is being certified for.
Prof. Wijeyesekera emphasizes that the vocational training sector, especially, has a major role to play in anticipating and rectifying skills mismatches. This is sought to be accomplished by identifying the needs for the labour market and imparting appropriate training. Other proactive roles would include (a) being conscious of social compulsions, and (b) curbing supply when there is a lack of market demand. Prof. Wijeyesekera indicates that the country is deficient in middle-level technologists, and can easily absorb four times as many as we have.
Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish philosopher, once said: “The true university of these days is a collection of books.” Taking the liberty of modifying that, Prof Wijeyesekera said, “The true university of these days is perhaps the world-wide web.” He was making a case for the use of distance education, which he described as “inevitable… a compulsion of the age we live in.”
The purpose of the Distance Education Modernisation Project, funded by the ADB, is to expand post-secondary education enrolment using latest technologies. In the process, the project seeks to develop a modern, high-quality human resource base, Prof. Wijeyesekera indicated.
But what happens thereafter? What is the state of tertiary, i.e. post-secondary, education? (Tertiary education typically includes undergraduate & postgraduate education and vocational training). Some answers to these questions were provided at Central Bank of Sri Lanka’s public lecture on ‘Tertiary Education Opportunities in Sri Lanka’ recently.
Speaking on the subject, Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera, member of the National Education Commission, authoritatively said, “The first preference of parents still is to send their children to conventional universities.” Oft-quoted statistics indicate that only about 15% of those who obtain qualifying marks for entry into the university system can actually do so, due to the paucity of seats.
While the number of students entering universities is meticulously tracked, there is life beyond the universities, Prof. Wijeyesekera points out. Seventeen professional associations conduct tertiary education courses and 21 ministries also do so for their employees! As is apparent, the present technical education and vocational training system has developed in an unsystematic manner.
Decrying this fact, Prof Wijeyesekera expresses the need for a unified national system and for increased co-ordination. This is sought to be accomplished by bringing all modes of tertiary education under one umbrella.
That’s where the National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ) system comes in. With nationally identified skills standards and competency based assessment, the NVQ system also provides for upward mobility. The NVQ certificate will be of value since quality is being assured through nationally-identified skill standards, quality management systems and accreditation, promises Prof. Wijeyesekera. It will indicate that the holder has acquired the skills and competencies that he is being certified for.
Prof. Wijeyesekera emphasizes that the vocational training sector, especially, has a major role to play in anticipating and rectifying skills mismatches. This is sought to be accomplished by identifying the needs for the labour market and imparting appropriate training. Other proactive roles would include (a) being conscious of social compulsions, and (b) curbing supply when there is a lack of market demand. Prof. Wijeyesekera indicates that the country is deficient in middle-level technologists, and can easily absorb four times as many as we have.
Thomas Carlyle, the Scottish philosopher, once said: “The true university of these days is a collection of books.” Taking the liberty of modifying that, Prof Wijeyesekera said, “The true university of these days is perhaps the world-wide web.” He was making a case for the use of distance education, which he described as “inevitable… a compulsion of the age we live in.”
The purpose of the Distance Education Modernisation Project, funded by the ADB, is to expand post-secondary education enrolment using latest technologies. In the process, the project seeks to develop a modern, high-quality human resource base, Prof. Wijeyesekera indicated.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Craftsmen: From A Lack to A Lakh
The number of masons and carpenters in Sri Lanka has been dwindling, and successive governments have failed to adequately address the problem. The recent appointment of a Minister for Construction & Engineering Services – Dr Rajitha Senaratne - is, however, expected to stop the decline and bring about resurgence.
Interestingly, the obstacle is not of earning potential associated with these crafts, but of social status (or lack thereof). “A mason, carpenter or plumber is able to earn more than a graduate civil engineer”, confirmed Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera, member of the National Education Commission, while delivering a lecture on ‘Tertiary Education Opportunities in Sri Lanka’ on Thursday.
Talking to Sunday Times FT about his vision, the new Cabinet Minister, Dr Senaratne, recently said, “I would like one lakh people to be trained for the local as well as foreign market in two to three years.” He also envisages that workers and contractors be registered, so that their welfare could be better looked after.
The Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka (CCI) has an onerous responsibility in this regard, playing – as it does - the lead private sector role in the training of construction craftsmen. Dakshitha Talagodapitiya, CEO of CCI, explained the importance thus, “To attain a GDP growth trajectory of 8%, an immediate enhancement of construction capacity is called for.”
The CCI has therefore entered into collaboration with Lyons-based Bioforce Development Institute, a French agency that imparts training. The agency offers experiential training in masonry and carpentry skills. ”We pay the trainees Rs 100 to 300 per day as stipend, to learn”, says Talagodapitiya. This initiative is being facilitated by the French Red Cross, and is partly funded by Suntel - as a corporate social responsibility initiative. Two training centres, in Galle and Matara, are already operational. The CCI intends to start the next one at Hambantota.
The CCI is also involved in training supervisory staff for the construction industry, in association with City & Guilds.
Interestingly, the obstacle is not of earning potential associated with these crafts, but of social status (or lack thereof). “A mason, carpenter or plumber is able to earn more than a graduate civil engineer”, confirmed Prof. Dayantha Wijeyesekera, member of the National Education Commission, while delivering a lecture on ‘Tertiary Education Opportunities in Sri Lanka’ on Thursday.
Talking to Sunday Times FT about his vision, the new Cabinet Minister, Dr Senaratne, recently said, “I would like one lakh people to be trained for the local as well as foreign market in two to three years.” He also envisages that workers and contractors be registered, so that their welfare could be better looked after.
The Chamber of Construction Industry Sri Lanka (CCI) has an onerous responsibility in this regard, playing – as it does - the lead private sector role in the training of construction craftsmen. Dakshitha Talagodapitiya, CEO of CCI, explained the importance thus, “To attain a GDP growth trajectory of 8%, an immediate enhancement of construction capacity is called for.”
The CCI has therefore entered into collaboration with Lyons-based Bioforce Development Institute, a French agency that imparts training. The agency offers experiential training in masonry and carpentry skills. ”We pay the trainees Rs 100 to 300 per day as stipend, to learn”, says Talagodapitiya. This initiative is being facilitated by the French Red Cross, and is partly funded by Suntel - as a corporate social responsibility initiative. Two training centres, in Galle and Matara, are already operational. The CCI intends to start the next one at Hambantota.
The CCI is also involved in training supervisory staff for the construction industry, in association with City & Guilds.
But will this training be recognized and will it provide the much-needed social status? Dr T A Piyasiri, Director General of Tertiary & Vocational Education Commission, opines that the National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) system will address the recognition concern by:
(a) Making the courses relevant, so that they churn out competent and certified craftsmen for various occupations and
(b) Formulating a unified qualification framework, wherein competency standards are specified for 100 different occupations by 2008.
Dr Piyasiri confirms that the Commission has already provided curricula, standards and assessment criteria to the CCI. These have been made available for masons, carpenters, plumbers and household electricians, upto four different levels of competency. This will ensure that the training imparted will fall squarely within the ambit of what the NVQ system is attempting to establish.
Even from the viewpoint of livelihood development, training of construction craftsmen is an opportune initiative. Training can be imparted to even vulnerable sections, thus providing them with the opportunity for gainful employment in a relatively short time.
The craftsmen are coming... So, go ahead - plan that dream house!
Saturday, March 3, 2007
India, Sri Lanka as Powerful Examples
Sri Lanka is located astride the sea lanes that will carry an increasing proportion of global trade, a fact that makes Sri Lanka’s future very important to America. The Indian and Sri Lankan experience as two successful, market-oriented, multi-ethnic democracies can serve as powerful examples to other countries in this region, according to Robert O. Blake Jr. US Ambassador to Sri Lanka.
He was delivering the third annual Sujata Jayawardene Memorial Oration at the BCIS Auditorium organized by the Alumni Association of the Colombo University this week.
Prefacing these remarks, he said that the shift of America’s foreign policy from Europe to Asia had several roots. Recent studies have shown that if current trends continue, the four largest economies in the world by 2040 will be the US, China, India and Japan.
The value of the US’s trade with Asia already exceeds that of its trade with Europe - and the gap is likely to grow.
If the spike of violence and hostilities seen in Sri Lanka over the last six months continues, it could have profound negative effects on the country’s society and economy, he said adding that the brain drain that results from young Sri Lankans leaving the country to escape the violence – and those abroad electing to stay abroad – is damaging. On the other hand, if the peace dividend can be seized, Sri Lanka will prosper in this new Asian century.
Blake pointed out that the United States, as a ‘friend of Sri Lanka’, has been a long-term partner in the country’s development, and is helping in many ways on the terrorism and military fronts. However, he does not believe that there can be a military solution to this conflict.
In Blake’s view, preparing Sri Lanka’s education system for the 21st century would require a four-pronged approach:
1. Considering the country’s pent up demand for higher education, due to limited intake in local universities, the only option now is to pursue studies abroad. Proffering a solution that would not place an undue burden on state coffers, Blake suggested that private universities be allowed to exist alongside public universities.
2. With English having become the universal language of business and science, Blake noted that Sri Lanka can do more to help youth prepare to compete in 21st century by improving English language training.
3. Training teachers to teach the skills employers really want, to think creatively and critically - and qualities like leadership, team work and communication - can be taught through interactive instruction methods.
4. In part because of the absence of private universities, many young Sri Lankans go abroad to pursue their higher studies.
He was delivering the third annual Sujata Jayawardene Memorial Oration at the BCIS Auditorium organized by the Alumni Association of the Colombo University this week.
Prefacing these remarks, he said that the shift of America’s foreign policy from Europe to Asia had several roots. Recent studies have shown that if current trends continue, the four largest economies in the world by 2040 will be the US, China, India and Japan.
The value of the US’s trade with Asia already exceeds that of its trade with Europe - and the gap is likely to grow.
If the spike of violence and hostilities seen in Sri Lanka over the last six months continues, it could have profound negative effects on the country’s society and economy, he said adding that the brain drain that results from young Sri Lankans leaving the country to escape the violence – and those abroad electing to stay abroad – is damaging. On the other hand, if the peace dividend can be seized, Sri Lanka will prosper in this new Asian century.
Blake pointed out that the United States, as a ‘friend of Sri Lanka’, has been a long-term partner in the country’s development, and is helping in many ways on the terrorism and military fronts. However, he does not believe that there can be a military solution to this conflict.
In Blake’s view, preparing Sri Lanka’s education system for the 21st century would require a four-pronged approach:
1. Considering the country’s pent up demand for higher education, due to limited intake in local universities, the only option now is to pursue studies abroad. Proffering a solution that would not place an undue burden on state coffers, Blake suggested that private universities be allowed to exist alongside public universities.
2. With English having become the universal language of business and science, Blake noted that Sri Lanka can do more to help youth prepare to compete in 21st century by improving English language training.
3. Training teachers to teach the skills employers really want, to think creatively and critically - and qualities like leadership, team work and communication - can be taught through interactive instruction methods.
4. In part because of the absence of private universities, many young Sri Lankans go abroad to pursue their higher studies.
Monday, February 26, 2007
We Don’t Need No Education
“Welcome back, Dad. How was work?”
“It was fine, Son. How was your day? I notice you’re watching TV. Does that mean you’ve finished your homework?”
“Not yet, Dad. I don’t feel like doing homework.”
“Son, on a few things, there’s no compromise - and homework just happens to be one of those things. A boy’s gotta do what a boy’s gotta do.”
“But Pink Floyd sang, ‘We don’t need no education’, Dad.”
“Examine that statement closely, Son. This pink chap whom you have taken a fancy to has used a double negative. Shorn of its negativism, what he actually said was that we do need some education. So there!”
“But, Dad… There’s so much being said nowadays about the fact there isn’t enough opportunity for higher studies in this country.”
“Higher studies is for the specialists, Son – those who want to know more and more about less and less. You stick to the Three Rs for the time-being, Son.”
“The Three Rs, Dad..?”“Yes, Son. That’s a widely-used abbreviation in the United States for the basic elements of a primary school curriculum: reading, ’riting (writing), and ’rithmetic (arithmetic).”
“So much for their spelling skills..! But what thereafter, Dad? There aren’t enough university seats to go around, it seems.”
“That is a fact, Son. More than 100,000 students pass their Advanced Level examinations each year but there are only about 15,000 university seats available to them. That means, every year, nearly a hundred thousand students do not have access to higher education within the country.”
“But they can go abroad to study, can’t they, Dad?”
“Yes, they can, Son - if they can afford to. Some of our best and brightest will go abroad to study, and stay on. Besides, it would be a drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves too, because their fees would most likely be paid from here, in precious foreign currency.”
“What about those who graduate from Sri Lankan universities, Dad?”
“Many of them would go abroad too, Son. They will also contribute to this phenomenon called brain drain, instead of contributing to the country. But that’s okay because they would send foreign exchange back home. We sow in rupees and reap in dollars.”
“Cool, Dad.”
“It has been observed that our country is better at creating graduates than at employing them. Forcing them to remain within the country would simply reduce our return on investment.”
“So, what needs to be done, Dad? The fact that these blokes have to go abroad to study could result in something of a crisis, couldn’t it?”
“I guess so, Son. Now listen to me: When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
“I appreciate that nugget of wisdom, Dad. But what are you getting at?”
“The solution is simple, Son: Sri Lanka has good educational facilities, only not enough of it. We should invest in more educational facilities that can generate a global income. If existing institutions are unable to cope with the demand for higher education, we must throw higher education open to the private sector.”
“But, wouldn’t that result in standards getting diluted, Dad?”
“Not if you get these private institutions affiliated to and accredited by the universities, to start with. For example, Son - The best management institutes in India are independent, not even affiliated to any university.”
“What else needs to happen to the education system, Dad?”
“Our curriculum needs to train students to think creatively and critically, Son – not how to memorise, but how to apply knowledge. Why do you think the British examinations permit you to use a calculator while the local ones do not?”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“Because the foreign exams test your ability to apply. They prepare students for the real world. Goldsmith’s village schoolmaster whose ‘one small head could carry all he knew’ is an outdated idiom.”
“What else, Dad?”
“There needs to be more interaction between academia and industry. Students need to be trained in team work, communication and leadership too... Plan for the future, Son, because that’s where I think we are going to spend the rest of our lives.”
“Okay, okay, Dad… I’ll finish my homework…!”
“It was fine, Son. How was your day? I notice you’re watching TV. Does that mean you’ve finished your homework?”
“Not yet, Dad. I don’t feel like doing homework.”
“Son, on a few things, there’s no compromise - and homework just happens to be one of those things. A boy’s gotta do what a boy’s gotta do.”
“But Pink Floyd sang, ‘We don’t need no education’, Dad.”
“Examine that statement closely, Son. This pink chap whom you have taken a fancy to has used a double negative. Shorn of its negativism, what he actually said was that we do need some education. So there!”
“But, Dad… There’s so much being said nowadays about the fact there isn’t enough opportunity for higher studies in this country.”
“Higher studies is for the specialists, Son – those who want to know more and more about less and less. You stick to the Three Rs for the time-being, Son.”
“The Three Rs, Dad..?”“Yes, Son. That’s a widely-used abbreviation in the United States for the basic elements of a primary school curriculum: reading, ’riting (writing), and ’rithmetic (arithmetic).”
“So much for their spelling skills..! But what thereafter, Dad? There aren’t enough university seats to go around, it seems.”
“That is a fact, Son. More than 100,000 students pass their Advanced Level examinations each year but there are only about 15,000 university seats available to them. That means, every year, nearly a hundred thousand students do not have access to higher education within the country.”
“But they can go abroad to study, can’t they, Dad?”
“Yes, they can, Son - if they can afford to. Some of our best and brightest will go abroad to study, and stay on. Besides, it would be a drain on the country’s foreign exchange reserves too, because their fees would most likely be paid from here, in precious foreign currency.”
“What about those who graduate from Sri Lankan universities, Dad?”
“Many of them would go abroad too, Son. They will also contribute to this phenomenon called brain drain, instead of contributing to the country. But that’s okay because they would send foreign exchange back home. We sow in rupees and reap in dollars.”
“Cool, Dad.”
“It has been observed that our country is better at creating graduates than at employing them. Forcing them to remain within the country would simply reduce our return on investment.”
“So, what needs to be done, Dad? The fact that these blokes have to go abroad to study could result in something of a crisis, couldn’t it?”
“I guess so, Son. Now listen to me: When written in Chinese, the word ‘crisis’ is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity.”
“I appreciate that nugget of wisdom, Dad. But what are you getting at?”
“The solution is simple, Son: Sri Lanka has good educational facilities, only not enough of it. We should invest in more educational facilities that can generate a global income. If existing institutions are unable to cope with the demand for higher education, we must throw higher education open to the private sector.”
“But, wouldn’t that result in standards getting diluted, Dad?”
“Not if you get these private institutions affiliated to and accredited by the universities, to start with. For example, Son - The best management institutes in India are independent, not even affiliated to any university.”
“What else needs to happen to the education system, Dad?”
“Our curriculum needs to train students to think creatively and critically, Son – not how to memorise, but how to apply knowledge. Why do you think the British examinations permit you to use a calculator while the local ones do not?”
“I don’t know, Dad.”
“Because the foreign exams test your ability to apply. They prepare students for the real world. Goldsmith’s village schoolmaster whose ‘one small head could carry all he knew’ is an outdated idiom.”
“What else, Dad?”
“There needs to be more interaction between academia and industry. Students need to be trained in team work, communication and leadership too... Plan for the future, Son, because that’s where I think we are going to spend the rest of our lives.”
“Okay, okay, Dad… I’ll finish my homework…!”
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
