Ceylon Today Editorial

Better Late Than Never

16 May 2017

Sri Lanka is ever so famous for doing things several years after it would have been most appropriate. The current Government of Sri Lanka, as its many predecessors, has shown disinterest in making no change at all in the country. Whatever it does, it's always late or a move that is incredibly useless.

Same goes for the way things are handled regarding the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM).

It is common knowledge that issues regarding the SAITM could have been resolved since its inception back in 2008. And it has taken almost nine years and two governing-systems to provide an almost proper solution. In light of the continuous protests against the SAITM, the government recently requested the private medical school's management to halt enrolling new students to the institution. The request was made by Higher Education and Highways Minister, Lakshman Kiriella, through the respective Ministry, requesting the SAITM management to halt student intake till several policy decisions taken by the government on SAITM are implemented.

These policy decisions include the listing of SAITM in the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) and the appointing of a monitoring body to overview SAITM, in order to ensure standards and quality of medical education. Most importantly, one policy includes nationalizing the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital along with the increasing the number of scholarships offered by the private medical college.

The government has claimed that it will take around two months to implement these policy changes which call for the SAITM management to halt enrolling new students for that time period.

The SAITM management has not responded to the request, despite the government's expectations of a positive response. The request to halt enrolling students to SAITM till issues are resolved was welcomed by the SAITM Medical Faculty Parents' Forum (SMFPF), somewhat of a bit of a victory to the Forum, due to its ongoing crusade against the private medical university. Of course, not much could be said about the protests made by the Government Medical Officers' Association (GMOA) which continues to stand against everything about SAITM, calling for the complete closing down of the school and ceasing the awarding of degrees.

The Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), of course, seems to be tied up in its own problems associated with the SAITM – the grenade threat that took place last Saturday. The matter remains unresolved as of yet, with the investigative authorities baffled with the bomb that appeared in front of the SLMC office suddenly. The hand grenade, which did not fortunately explode, was safely removed from the location by the Police and resulted in the SLMC heading for exclusive special meetings this week. One cannot – all the while we are critiquing the events open-mindedly – help but connect the fake shooting incident involving the SAITM CEO.

Well, it's too early to jump to any conclusions, so we shall wait and see.

Distractions of all kinds – grenade threats, protests and whatnot – aside, everyone knows that the issues pertaining to the SAITM versus the Government of Sri Lanka matter could have been resolved a long time ago.

If the previous governments took steps to resolve the SAITM matter by adopting the necessary policies such as nationalizing the Neville Fernando Teaching Hospital or making it mandatory for SAITM to maintain high academic standards, administrative procedures and proper management practices, and also requiring it to be governed by a Board of Governors, and to be listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange, so as to broad-base its ownership through shares, the matter would have been over a long time ago. Furthermore, if arrangements were made for SAITM medical students who pass their final examination to undergo clinical training at government hospitals while making it mandatory for all students to face an examination conducted under the supervision of the SLMC and the University Grants Commission; everything that made the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine 'bad' in the public eye in recent times, could have been avoided.

But due to the negligence, the ignorance and the myopic personal needs of many senior government officers and those of the government themselves, this was avoided rather intentionally. However, now we have been given a golden opportunity to make amends. And it would be wise for us to not hinder that process.

Daily News Editorial

MR shows the way

16 May 2017

The decision by former President Mahinda Rajapaksa to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the latter's visit to Sri Lanka is to be commended. It was indeed a bold decision given the anti-Indian rhetoric that was been bellowed by the likes of Wimal Weerawansa and Udaya Gammanpila in the run up to the visit. At the Pohottuwa party's May Day rally at Galle Face, Weerawansa called for the hoisting of black flags during Modi's visit while Gammanpila, subsequently at a media briefing, justified his colleague's call. No black flags though were seen anywhere in the country during the visit reminiscent of an earlier call too by the duo urging the public to hoist black flags during Independence Day celebrations.

It is ironic indeed for Weerawansa to call for the hoisting of black flags during the visit of a leader of the country which gave the world Buddhism, embraced by seventy five percent of Sri Lanka's population, not least by the NFF leader, who apparently is a devout adherent. Fears were stoked by the Joint Opposition that the Indian Premier was set to sign trade agreements with the government in the guise of visiting the country to participate in International Vesak Day celebrations. Like all its recent predictions and forecasts, this too was proved unfounded. There were no objections though when the Chinese leader arrived in the country to sign the Port City agreement that entailed an exclusive flying zone for China in the land reclaimed from the sea.

Be that as it may, Rajapaksa had delivered a resounding slap to the Weerawansa-Gammanpila duo by his meeting with the Indian Premier when the call was to hoist black flags during the visit. It certainly had hit them where they live. Many of the JO stalwarts were seeing backtracking on their anti-Indian rhetoric after the meeting. They who claimed that MOUs were to be signed on ETCA and other trade pacts changed tune to state that the agreements were indeed signed during Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe's recent visit to India. Even the Ven. Elle Gunawansa, known for his virulent anti-Indian sentiments, was forced to acknowledge that he was not against the Prime Minister Modi's visit, after the Rajapaksa-Modi tete a tete. According to the Indian High Commissioner Taranjit Singh Sandhu, the discussion was very cordial and Rajapaksa had reportedly thanked the Indian Prime Minister for the development assistance granted to Sri Lanka. Besides, India also extended its not inconsiderable assistance towards the defeat of the LTTE by way of weaponry and sophisticated radar equipment.

The former President, no doubt, is well aware of the importance of cultivating good relations with our giant neighbour, whatever he or his backers may say to the contrary. In fact, during his Presidency, Rajapaksa strove to build friendship with India in a big way and in fact nominated his brother Basil as a special emissary in shuttle diplomacy to the exclusion of External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris. In fact, Rajapaksa was a member of United Front Government led by Sirima Bandaranaike which built special relations with India that extended even to a personal level between the Gandhi and Bandaranaike families. Given this legacy there can be no doubt that Mahinda Rajapaksa is keen to continue this special relationship with India, even though he is out of power, notwithstanding the anti Indian rhetoric spewed by members of the Joint Opposition such as Wimal Weerawansa on whom the nuances of foreign relations are lost in the small world they inhabit.

It is hoped that at least now the members of the Joint Opposition would shed this India phobia and come down to reality in this modern age and new world order where international borders are getting increasingly blurred. Their leader, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has shown the way. Antagonizing India can only be to the detriment of this country. We can no longer be xenophobic and be cut off from the larger word. Whipping up anti-Indian hysteria for political reasons is well and good, but this should not be taken too far to the extent where it will impact on the country's economy and importantly on the good relations that have been cultivated with India by successive governments.

There is a current tendency to portray India as acting inimical to the interests of the country and its economy through agreements foisted on Sri Lanka. Members of the GMOA too are making common cause with the likes Weerawansa and Gammanpila in India bashing, creating goni billas to turn public opinion against India. Any Indian involvement in Sri Lanka is viewed with a jaundiced eye by these elements without giving thought to the economic and other gains to Sri Lanka derived therefrom.

We should get rid of this siege mentality which perhaps is a carryover from suspicion grounded in history. Hopefully, Rajapaksa's meeting with the Indian Premier, in the wake of the hostile attitude towards India by some of his close confidants, will change public perception hitherto harboured against our giant neighbour.

The Island Editorial

Of that WB boost for higher education

16 May 2017

 

The World Bank (WB) has decided to give a 100-million-dollar cash injection into the fund-starved higher education sector of this country in a bid to help ‘increase enrolment in priority disciplines, improve the quality of degree programmes and promote research and innovation’. Most Sri Lankans, like their counterparts in other parts of the developing world, tend to view WB assistance with suspicion. Financial assistance from the Bretton Woods twins never come without strings attached and what the WB conditions anent the aforesaid funds are not yet known.

The WB has announced its aid package at a time the Sirisena-Wickremesinghe administration stands accused of trying to let the free education system wither on the vine; the yahapalana leaders have also drawn a great deal of flak for promoting private universities. Successive governments have failed to raise the standards of national universities significantly.

The resource-starved seats of higher learning need a radical shake-up and massive cash injections among many other things if they are to bounce back as brain trusts. The government must not only make a serious effort to develop the university system but also be seen to be doing so. That is the only way it can convince the public, if at all, that it is not trying to shift the onus for catering to the increasing demand for higher education to the private sector.

If the criminal waste of public funds is stopped there will be enough money for developing schools and universities. The present government has so far spent more than Rs. 2 billion on super luxury vehicles for ministers during the last two years or so. Billions of rupees are wasted by way of rent on buildings that house various ministries, created to please some greedy politicians notorious for defections. Public funds are also splurged on opening ceremonies and anniversary celebrations. If the yahapalana politicians who came to power promising to adopt austerity measures and develop the country fulfil their promises, they won’t have to depend on the WB and the IMF for funds to develop the higher education sector.

Some of the WB observations about our higher education sector are really depressing. The WB has revealed that in 2014, Sri Lanka was ranked 88th of 115 countries for higher education participation. And its higher education enrolment rate of 21 percent is well below the average rate of 23 percent in Lower Middle Income Countries; and 44 percent enrolment rate in Upper Middle Income Countries. This has been the contribution of the braggarts of the two main parties to the education and higher education sectors!

The WB has stressed the need for Sri Lanka to focus on improving student participation in disciplines of vital importance to economic development such as the sciences, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). That need cannot be overemphasised, but universities must not be transformed into factories, as it were, to churn out graduates capable of promoting economic development alone. They must not be reduced to job training centres. What universities should strive to achieve is imparting a well-rounded education. It may be recalled that the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAAS) report (2013), titled, The Heart of the Matter, has recommended a well-rounded education where science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are coupled with the humanities and social sciences; it has stressed the fact that ‘all disciplines are essential for the inventiveness, competitiveness, security, and personal fulfillment’ of the public.

Commenting on the AAAS recommendations, we argued, in an editorial comment, A gem-studded report, on June 25, 2013, that what was needed was not the promotion of STEM at the expense of liberal arts but an education system that facilitated the cross-pollination of disciplines for the benefit of students who needed to be equipped to face multifarious challenges in life.

It is fervently hoped that the WB money will come without constricting conditions attached thereto and all precautions will be taken to prevent it from going down the gurgler.