BRIDGING THE GAP IN HIGHER EDUCATION

By Ian


In the last 50 years Sri Lanka has made huge strides in the primary and secondary education. My estimate is that at least 90% or more of children of school going age are attending schools. Everything changes once the students sit for Advance Level Examination. For over 300,000 who sit for Advanced Level only 25,000 or so get admitted to the Universities.

Considering the better organized nature of the school system they could do more on the issues such as youth unemployment and lack of technically qualified personnel in the country. One way forward would be to in concurrence with the National Universities, Technical colleges (such as NIBM, Nursing Schools and German Tech) the Ministry of Education through the National Schools to introduce one & two years certificate level courses in areas few areas. This would be areas that require mostly class room training such as Accounting & Finance, Marketing Management, Human Resources Management, Sales Management, Supply & Logistics Management, Banking, Insurance, Leasing, Laboratory Technology, Basic levels of IT such as graphic design, etc and also areas that require limited practical training such as Motor Mechanism, Use of heavy machinery, Agriculture and Food processing, performing arts etc. This would enable the students after their A-Levels to continue in vocational training in the school system and obtain a certificate level qualification.

LET’S UNITE ONCE MORE AGAISNT THE UN (LTTE) LIES

By Ian

All of us have heard of the latest ‘findings’ of the UN appointed panel. It looks like it’s a copy/ paste from the Tamilnet in early 2009. My issue is how these people who write and also comment on the report do that in isolation from the main issue. Let for a moment assume that what is written in the report actually happened. In that hypothesis I like to invite the attention of all to the following.

ARE WE DOING ALL THE RIGHT THINGS? I THINK NOT

By Ian

For many of us we have won the war. But for me we have won a crucial battle of the war and the end of the war is yet to come. The ‘war’ for separation that started in the 1920’s created division amongst its people and destabilized a country that had highest per capita GDP in Asia. This war is still not over and unless defeated is likely to be there until one day the Ealam is created in Sri Lanka. Defeating the separatist war will take diplomatic, constitutional, communication and other ‘warfare’ efforts used consistently, effectively and intelligently.