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Prof. Siva urges Sri Lankan expatriates to invest in nation’s youth
Prof. Siva Sivanathan
A Prominent American academic of Sri Lankan origin, Prof. Siva Sivanathan, called on Sri Lankan expatriates to be part of Sri Lanka’s growth story by contributing a portion of their earnings to the island nation’s children and youth.
“Sri Lanka can be developed if all its expatriates contribute 5 percent of what they have earned for the future of Sri Lankan children and youth,” Prof. Sivananthan told journalists in Colombo this week.
“I, being a student of Hindu College Jaffna and University of Peradeniya, wanted to give back something to Sri Lanka and thereby, was successful in introducing a diploma programme in renewable energy together with the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority. The children who study this programme are usually employed by the time they graduate,” he said.
Dr. Sivananthan called for reforms in the education sector in Sri Lanka and specifically called for a quick transfer of students from the GCE Ordinary Level examination to the Advanced Level examination.
He also called for a quick transfer of students from schools to universities.
“Usually, a child who completes the Ordinary Level examination will have to stay at home for months till his results are released. A child has to spend more than a year after he completes his Advanced Level examination to enter a university. Sri Lanka will have to rectify this shortcoming,” he pointed out.
According to him, a key mistake Sri Lanka makes is getting children to become doctors, engineers and other professionals, while better prospects are available in fields such as renewable energy.
Further, going through an internship programme must be made mandatory for Sri Lankan children, either on a voluntary basis or for a salary, as it would help in gaining the necessary experience, he said.
Dr. Sivanathan was born in Jaffna and obtained his BSC from the University of Peradeniya. He then received his PHD in physics from UIC USA, in the 1980s. He is a proponent of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education and a firm believer in solar and renewable energy sources. He is the founder of InSPIRE, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to bringing solar energy to the forefront. (By Yohan Perera)
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