BY EDWARD THEOPHILUS

The complicated picture of university education in Sri Lanka sends a message that University Education Reforms are required to make radical changes in higher education and is a vital part of the higher education system in Sri Lanka since 1960s and no attempt of reforms have been successful as the misunderstanding of reforms has not been appropriately adjusted by the authority using relevant and required strategy. The most regrettable way of working was attempting to enforce reforms without clearly educating about reforms and without understanding the possible impact of reforms to the country. The major reason for the delinquency in reforms could be identified as misguided politics in universities which were a part of the economic, social and other crisis of the country. The lack of knowledge on reforms and the possible impact of such reforms have not been clarified by the authority using simple language to the public and opening opportunities to use university problems like a beggar’s wound for education problems in the country.

Many university education policy makers were lack of understanding of the relationship between changes coming on the way resulting from the reforms to modify education, and how to apply such changes in practical environment for making the quality education that will support to resolve problems of the society.   University students have been used by various political parties with selfish motives and there was not a creative debate on this matter among university students and their parents and how should reforms be structured to generate benefits to the country. This means stakeholders of university education should have a part of reforms planning. Educators on the reforms were lacking experience on the expected modern changes and the majority of educators were like pupil teachers or university tutors, and how they prepared to adapt the education environment of Sri Lanka were a grave problem and the knowledge of proposed reforms. The understanding of the expected changes among students and educators looked like groping in the dark.

It has been a fundamental issue that have not come to the vision of academic policy makers and they converted education reforms to a joke.

While the views and ideas of reforms were going on critical issues for political parties to adapt for expected changes and the idea of reforms to gain advantages for political parties was fishing in contaminated water not because they needed quality and productive higher education in the country but they wanted to gain political advantages using ideas of reforms and possible impact of education in the higher education to the country.

As I can remember a conflict against the reforms which was commenced in 1969 by the Wilmot Perera Commission wanted to introduced drastic reforms which purposed to provide competency skills for university students in various trade areas.  At that time university students and student organizations had no knowledge about work competencies and the significance of such skills and knowledge for the success of higher education in the country.