Back to school to reconcile state-private higher education
Matters of dispute within the School and University Education system in the country came up for discussion this week in Parliament, with both, Higher Education Minister Lakshman Kiriella and Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariawasam, sounding somewhat beleaguered with a fight on their hands with those in the Medical profession.
Education Minister Kariawasam who has been on the warpath with the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA) for several weeks, over their demand for their children's admission to “popular” government schools, in a lengthy statement to Parliament on Tuesday, explained why the GMOA's demands cannot be accommodated.
“I cannot give into the unreasonable demands of the GMOA and deprive other children of admission to these schools,” the Minister said, while tabling several documents in the House, which he said exposed how some GMOA office bearers have forged documents and give wrong information to get their children admitted to schools in Colombo.
The GMOA in turn has sought an appointment with President Maithripala Sirisena to submit a list, they say, the Association has compiled to show how over 100 politicians have admitted their children to “popular” government schools, bypassing stipulated procedure.
And while Minister Kariawasam will no doubt have to contend with the GMOA matter in the coming weeks, Higher Education Minister Kiriella too is faced with an uphill fight with the Medical profession. It revolves around the opposition by both, doctors and students in State-run Medical Colleges, to SAITM (South Asian Institute of Technology & Medicine), which they allege has enrolled students who are unsuitable to become doctors, as they have been recruited without the basic minimum qualifications for university entrance, to study Medicine. The SAITM matter became the main topic of discussion on Thursday when Parliament took up for debate the Universities (Amendment) Bill, which increases the retirement age of nonacademic staff of universities from 57 to 60.
The JVP which has consistently opposed private education, stuck to its guns with its Kalutara District MP Dr Nalinda Jayatissa insisting, the Government take over SAITM and absorb the qualified students to State-run Medical Colleges.
“State-run universities can accommodate more students, particularly in the Medical Colleges. It is better to increase the student intake into these facilities, as SAITM is run fraudulently without proper authorisation,” he alleged.
Megapolis Minister Champika Ranawaka said that, with nearly 1,200 students now in their final year at SAITM, the Government cannot allow this matter to drag on any longer, and must intervene to bring about a settlement to the matter. “We encountered the same situation 30-years-ago, when the North Colombo Medical College (NCMC) was started. It is tragic that 30 years later, we are facing an identical problem,” he noted.
The Minister also said that, it's time to bring about radical changes in both School and University Education systems in the country, which have remained unchanged for over four decades. “In 1992, there were 93 Advanced Level candidates who got 'A' grades in all subjects, but in 2016, there were 6,329. In 2015, over 200 candidates got 'A' grades in all subjects in the Commerce stream, but could not get placements in State universities. The district quota system has to be rethought, as competent children from certain schools lose out on university admission, due to higher cutoff marks in their areas,” he said.
Minister Ranawaka said that, while free Higher Education is a necessity, it was time for these universities to admit other qualified students on a paying basis, so that no student should lose out on the opportunity of Higher Education.
“A State-run Medical College spends around Rs 3 million per undergraduate, for their five years in campus, while places like SAITM charge massive amounts each year. If the State universities admit students on a paying basis, they would have to pay much less and still use the facilities at these institutions and get a proper education,” he said.
Higher Education Minister Kiriellla said the Government is of the opinion that SAITM should be run on a PublicPrivate Partnership (PPP) basis. He said SAITM was started under the previous administration and no one had objected to it then. “We even had a debate in Parliament at the time, but no one objected to it, due to fear,” he said.
There is no doubt the Education sector at both, School and University will continue to be problematic for the Government. While a higher allocation from the national Budget does go some way to address the problems in the sector, Minister Ranawaka’s warning that unrest within universities, which are at a heightened level at present, if left unaddressed, could pave the way for another bloodbath like in 1971 and 1989-90 era, needs to be heeded with all seriousness.