Sri Lanka Human Development Report 2012.pdf

There is an obvious need to align the country’s university
system with the needs of a modern economy. Two issues
are involved. First, while Sri Lanka does have a reputable
tertiary education system, its capacity is inadequate and it
serves only a very small proportion of the population. In
2009, only 3.6 percent of 20-24 year olds were enrolled in
a university, with an additional 3.6 percent in the same age
a higher education system that produces graduates capable
of taking on complex tasks, who learn and adapt quickly,
undertake independent research, and generate a steady
stream of world class technical innovations.
The study areas of Sri Lanka’s undergraduates reveal a
heavy concentration on Arts and Management, similar
Figure 4.9 : Education of Students Aged 5 to 24: Distribution by Institution, 2009
Source: Computations by the report team of the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka using Department of
Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka 2009e.
group enrolled in technical and vocational courses (Figure
4.9). Around 20,000 students from the roughly 330,000
people aged 20 to 24 entered state universities for higher
education in 2008. 174 Most of those qualified to enter
could not do so due to capacity constraints.
A second and related issue is that universities are too
heavily focused on non-technical disciplines that do not
generate skills required by a modern economy. The obvious
implication of the KEI ranking as well as earlier discussion
in this chapter is the urgent need for Sri Lanka to develop
to that in India (Figure 4.10). In 2009, almost 55 percent
of undergraduates studied these two disciplines. In
Singapore, ranked as one the world’s most scientifically
oriented countries, 175 42 percent of undergraduates were
studying Engineering and Mathematics, compared to 21
percent in Sri Lanka. 176 While 34 percent of Sri Lanka’s
undergraduates were majoring in Arts, only around 19
percent of Singapore’s undergraduates chose Humanities.
A major reason that Sri Lankan graduates are unable to
find jobs in the industrial sector is the mismatch between
their competencies and job requirements. 177
Chapter 4 Bridging Human Development Gaps: EDUCATION 75