University system at odds with needs of modern economy- UNDP Report

There is a need to align the country’s university system with the needs of a modern economy, according to the Sri Lanka Human Development Report on Sri Lanka, compiled by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) for 2012.

The Report says that there are two issues involved, one being the inadequate capacity of Sri Lanka’s tertiary education system, while the other being the fact that universities are too heavily focused on non-technical disciplines that do not generate skills required by a modern economy.

The study area of Sri Lanka’s undergraduates revealed a heavy concentration on Arts and Management, similar to that in India. In 2009, almost 55% of undergraduates studied in these two disciplines, the Report said.

In comparison, in Singapore, ranked as one of the world’s most scientifically oriented countries, 42% of the students study Engineering and Mathematics compared with 21% in Sri Lanka.

While around 34% of Sri Lanka’s undergraduates were majoring in Arts, only around 19% of Singapore’s undergraduates chose Humanities.

The Report added that the main reason for Sri Lanka’s graduates’ inability to find employment in the Industrials sector is the mismatch between their competencies and the job requirements.

The Report also noted that students who cannot enter public universities have few other options for higher education.

“In 2009, for example, more than 100,000 students, around 83% of those who qualified for higher education were forced to abandon their ambition to study, because State funded universities could not accommodate them.

“Those from affluent families opted to go to school overseas,” it added.-CK