Today, there is a lot of frustration among the youth due to many students passing the GCE A/L exam and become eligible to enter universities but are unable to gain admission to universities due to the limited number of places in universities. Out of the approximately 150,000 eligible A/L students, 25,000 will enter universities. There will be another 125,000 left behind. This would mean, out of those pass, only 17 percent enter universities, while 83 percent get left behind.

We need to maximize the opportunities for higher education in Sri Lanka; it should be the prime objective of any government. There is also an absolute necessity to provide degree programmes that are in demand, creating new skills and additional numbers required for the IT, engineering, science and technology, business, management and services sectors for the development of the economy. 

Today, India is a destination for world outsourcing industry, earning valuable foreign exchange for the country and providing employment and good salaries to its graduates due mainly to the availability of the IT and engineering graduates in large numbers with the ability to converse fluently in the English language. This is due to its ability to produce graduates with the required skills, qualifications and numbers. 

We are at a very important stage of our history and the people need solutions to this pressing problem of sending thousands of our youth overseas using valuable foreign exchange, seeking to obtain a degree they are deprived in their motherland. 

It should be a priority of the government to find a solution with the assistance of the university academia, professionals and business community in this country and provide a university education to the youth. They are the future of our country and will be able to contribute to the economic growth of Sri Lanka. 

What options are available?

If we are to make Sri Lanka a knowledge hub, then we need to look at alternative methods to provide higher education to a larger number, especially the qualified youth and increase the percentage of university-going students to over 50 percent from the current 16 percent to 20 percent. We need to develop the skills, knowledge, language fluency and of course English, research capability and opportunities for the youth to be trained in disciplines, which will provide a future to them in their motherland rather than look for opportunities overseas. 

At present, many foreign universities conduct degree programmes through private institutes without any control from any governmental educational authority. These degree programmes are also offered at a very high cost and not regulated locally. Also, many students go overseas pledging their parents’ house and property to obtain a bank loan and enter foreign universities. It has been noticed that many of them after qualifying do not return to Sri Lanka.  

Therefore, we need to provide a solution to conduct a quality university education at an affordable cost to the many deprived of a university education in their motherland and to consider solutions provided by other countries. 

Alternate model for Sri Lanka

One of the best opportunities available for Sri Lanka is to consider the Indian model of having affiliated colleges to universities; it has been very successful and has produced a large number of university graduates in India in different fields of specialization.

This system would immediately increase the intake to university degree courses via the college system with the entry regulated by the University Grants Commission (UGC). All syllabi are provided by the universities and the exams are also conducted by the universities, while the education will be provided by the colleges at an affordable cost to all students.

For students in need of funding, scholarships can be provided by the state or the Mahapola Trust Fund or loan facilities from banks as done in the last budget.
The affiliated college system is a well-tried and tested system of our closest neighbour India and has benefitted the large number of students seeking entry to obtain higher education and has contributed immensely to the development of the national economy.      

Indian system of affiliated colleges 

India has universities established under the UGC Act; they have territorial jurisdiction over a particular area.

According to the latest data from the UGC, the first five universities with the largest number of colleges are as follows: 

1. Hyderabad Osmania University with 901 affiliated colleges

2. Pune University with 735 affiliated colleges

3. Nagpur University with 800 colleges

4. Rajasthan University with 735 colleges

5. Mumbai University with 711 colleges

For example, in Pune is the University of Pune, which has jurisdiction over three districts – Pune, Ahmednagar and Nasik. Similarly, there is the University of Mumbai, having the Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Amravati, Nanded and Solapur Districts in the State of Maharashtra. These are all state universities established by the state government but recognized all over India and the world. 

All these universities have affiliated colleges in their jurisdiction. Five years ago, the Pune University had 474 affiliated colleges with the total student population of 550,000 and the Mumbai University had 531 affiliated colleges with 650,000 students. 

The syllabus and examinations are decided by the university and the examinations are also conducted by the university. The final degree is awarded by the university. 

The affiliated colleges are the mainstay in the country’s higher education system and they enrol 89.3 percent of the undergraduate students and about 72.2 percent of postgraduate students. 

The Delhi University has grown into one of the largest universities in India. At present, there are 16 faculties, 86 academic departments, 77 colleges and five other recognised institutes spread all over the city, with 132,435 regular students, including 114,494 undergraduates and 17,941 postgraduates. There are also 261,169 students in the non-formal education programme, of which the undergraduate students make up 258,831, whereas the postgraduate students are 2,338 in number. 
There are three types of colleges under the Delhi University. Some are fully funded by the government. There are also the private colleges. 

Depending on the funding and management, they are classified as follows:

• University-maintained colleges
• Trust colleges
• Delhi government colleges

The University of Madras has 115 affiliated colleges. They also conduct evening classes to cater to the demands of the working adults. About 150,000 students are on roll in the affiliated colleges. 

The responsibility of conducting classes regularly is on the colleges. The colleges conduct graduation and post-graduation classes and have teaching and other staff as per the norms of the UGC. Universities are responsible for the administrative and academic responsibilities. 

For getting an affiliation to a college, there are norms prescribed by the university and after fulfilling them, the affiliation is granted. 

There are two types of colleges, grantable and non- grantable. Grantable means they are given grants by the government and hence the fees for these colleges are quite low. There is also a fee committee established by the government to regulate the fees for these colleges. 

Examinations are conducted by the university and as colleges are affiliated to the university, students in the colleges appear for these examinations. 

Affiliation norms are there for university colleges about the land, building, teaching and non-teaching staff, library, laboratory and so on. 

It has also been noted that many of the colleges and private universities in India have been set up under the Trusts Ordinance and are not-for-profit organisations and self-funding. This would be a very good concept to be used in Sri Lanka for the educational sector similar to the public universities under the UGC and professional bodies set up by acts of parliament such as the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka and Institute of Certified Management Accountants of Sri Lanka, which are self-funding and set up under the Trade and Commerce Ministry in early years and now under Industry and Commerce.     

Way forward for Sri Lanka

• The Universities Act should be changed to provide for the university colleges to be set up and relevant regulations made. 

• All universities should be given authority to approve university colleges with the older and reputed universities playing a major role in making this scheme a success. 
• (a) Private educational institutes currently in operation encouraged to set up affiliated colleges and banks should treat these as priority projects for purpose of funding.  The government could link the loan scheme provided for the students who are eligible but unable to enter universities as currently done for certain private universities and those with foreign affiliations. 
• All affiliated colleges should be not-for-profit organisations and preferable be set up under the Trusts Ordinance or as Companies Limited by Guarantee. These organisations will also be self-funding and use any surpluses for the development of the institution.   
• Government buildings and school premises be made available in the afternoon session for the university colleges where required in the initial stages in the rural and other districts. 

• A scholarship fund to be set up by the government to fund needy students. 
• The intake to the colleges to be done by the UGC based on the A/L results similar to the selection to other universities. 
• The degree certificate will be issued by the universities with the name of the affiliated college. The syllabus will be provided by the universities and exams also conducted by the universities. 

Benefits to country and economy

• Make Sri Lanka a knowledge hub by increasing the number going into higher education and providing opportunities for qualifying students at A/L to pursue their higher studies. 

• More students would be able to obtain a degree qualification and the number of educated youth and more skilled persons will be produced in the country. Increase the percentage of students going into higher education immediately to 50 percent and thereafter to be increased annually. 

• The courses will be provided at an affordable cost to local students and valuable foreign exchange going out of the country will be saved. 
• Local professors, lecturers in universities that undertake lectures will be amply rewarded for their hard work and this will result in stopping the brain drain, which is a serious problem for the country. 
• Those in overseas universities will be encouraged to come back to Sri Lanka and start their own colleges and this will attract overseas Sri Lankans back to their home country. 
• Will attract more foreign direct investment to Sri Lanka to start knowledge-based projects for the export market due to the availability of skilled youth in sufficient numbers, which is currently in short supply.  
• Government could be a facilitator and control the quality and fees of these colleges through the universities and UGC. 
• More colleges could be set up for skills and technology that are in demand and will advance economic development and development of industry, commerce and services sector, plantation and agriculture. 
• The youth of this country will see a future in their mother country to earn a degree and this will also ease the problems of parents who have to mortgage whatever assets they have to send their children overseas for higher education. 
• Employers will be happy that they will be in a position to find sufficient skilled persons for employment in their businesses.
• The money invested in primary and secondary education will be amply rewarded by enabling students to go for higher education and to university affiliated colleges and increasing the percentage of students entering universities.   
• A close link will be established with the private and public sectors to conduct courses in demand with science and technology taking a prominent place in addition to the others. 
• Also to consider setting up of Sri Lankan Institutes of Technology and Institutes of Management similar to Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) and Indian Institutes of Management (IIM), which should be pursued vigorously, as these institutes have a direct bearing on the development of the knowledge economy. 

Conclusion

Although we are celebrating 40 years of open economy, the national higher education system has not been opened to meet the needs of our youth. During the last 40 years, we have sacrificed a minimum of two million to four million of our youth losing the opportunity to proceed to higher education due to the closed national higher education system, which needs a radical change if the country is to face the new challenges in a globalized economy and advance to a knowledge economy. 

We are unfortunately falling behind many of the other countries that are progressing at a very rapid level especially in science and technology and skill development, where we do not have sufficient numbers.

At a time advanced level students who qualify to enter university is approximately 150,000, only approximately 25,000 gain admission. The balance is deprived of an opportunity to pursue their higher education and students and parents are frustrated that despite them qualifying, their future is going to be bleak for no fault of theirs. Those who have the money go overseas using our valuable foreign exchange and many do not return to Sri Lanka after qualifying; it is another big loss to the country as well as to parents. 

It would be possible to overcome this barrier by implementing the university affiliated college system, which will provide additional places for those who otherwise are shut out of local universities. By implementing these new proposals tried and tested in neighbouring India and other countries will benefit the large number of educated and qualified youth after A/L to see a future in Sri Lanka through higher education. 

We should also keep in mind that cost is also an important element and only local degrees and professional qualifications can provide an answer to this question. Let us also save our valuable foreign exchange that is going out of this country and build a knowledge economy for the prosperity of the nation. 

(Prof. Lakshman R. Watawala (FCA, FCMA FCMA (UK), CGMA, FCPM) is President – Institute of Certified Management Accountants (CMA) Sri Lanka, Past President – Institute of Chartered Accountants of Sri Lanka (CA Sri Lanka), South Asian Federation of Accountants (SAFA) and Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka (OPA), Founder President – AAT Sri Lanka, Immediate Past President – Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA), former Chairman and Director General – GCEC and BOI, Chairman – People’s Bank, People’s  Merchant Bank, National Insurance Trust Fund, State Mining and Mineral Development Corporation and Ceylon Leather Products Corporation, former Council Member – University of Kelaniya, Open University of Sri Lanka and Institute of Computer Technology University of Colombo)