SL academia report to President on uplifting status of C’wealth countries

Sri Lanka academics propose setting up a common fund to promote student exchange programmes for educational purposes.

This was one of the proposals put forward Tuesday (26) to the President by the academia. They highlighted several key areas which need to be addressed to improve the status of Commonwealth countries.

In their proposal, the academia recommended competitions- especially to establish innovation and research development within member countries. They also said that quality assurance and accreditation should be promoted in higher education institutions through collaboration, and thereby promote lateral education and credit transfers between Commonwealth nations.

The academia suggested that, as Sri Lanka has a good education system which is always accessible, free education should be introduced to other countries, to ensure that education is available to all.

Other proposals included traditional games of the country to be promoted in the international arena, to develop Youth, Sports and Peace among member nations. A Commonwealth youth structure should be introduced in all member countries, starting from the grassroots level and move forward.

The group recommended that it should be implemented from youth civil society organisations towards the Commonwealth Youth Council.

Other suggestions included making Sri Lanka a health hub and ensuring patient safety, as a million patients die annually as a direct consequence of surgery and unnecessary medications.

It also endorsed the need for total commitment to inclusive democracy through participation by members of the Commonwealth, and to facilitate a formal education plan for democratic and pluralistic society throughout the Commonwealth, within the objectives of facilitating conflict resolution for the future.

As international peace and tolerance are core values of the Commonwealth, the academia called for the defining of Zones of Peace, and tabulate a list within each of the member countries.

They suggested that the significance of these zones should be discussed through interfaith dialogue, and to create a mechanism to safeguard the Zones of Peace. And a project be implemented to enhance peace building through interfaith interaction, by conducting peace education at formal, informal and nonformula sectors.

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