Sri Lanka
which offers free education to students needs to widen the higher educational
pathways and offer low cost private education options to students for the
knowledge hub dream to realize, an academic said.
"Sri
Lanka higher education paths are very narrow but the demand is very high,"
Athula Pitigala-Arachchi, head of Asia Pacific Institute of Information
Tecnology (APPIIT), an affiliated college said.
"The
government has to think innovatively to cope with this massive demand for
university education and private higher education is a good option for the
students."
Sri
Lanka has 15 state universities and no non state universities or private
universities. There are 200,000 students passing out following the successful
completion of their secondary education with only 25,000 students qualifying to
entre state universities.
Pitigala-Arachchi
says in Sri Lanka higher education has been a state monopoly for decades and
the public sector has not expanded adequately to meet the demand.
"In
Sri Lanka and even south Asia, the number of students entering to the higher
education is very low," he said. "The reason for this in Sri Lanka is
limited capacity"
The
island has educational institutions offering foreign degrees which are not
affordable for most of students in the island.
Pitigala-Arachchi
says the government cannot alone face this challenge with other priorities in
health, transport and infrastructure development sector and work in private
public partnership in providing higher education for students through private
universities.
"The
private sector has to play a role. It is growing over the past two to three
year but has not grown enough,"
However
he says the number of students entering the private higher education is still
small due to lack of funds and some of the students fly overseas seeking
foreign degrees.
"The
private higher education is expensive in Sri Lankan contest and lot many students
can’t afford in the private sector." Pitigala-Arachchi said.
He
says while government expanding the state universities, it should give
concession to private universities to be establish in the island and to offer
degrees in a lower rate so the students can afford to do the degree within the
country and most students can be accessible for the higher education.
"But
the private sector alone cannot do this, the government also should support
private sector to help the cost of private education to be down,"
"The
government can give various concessions like grants, tax concessions, land on
long term lease, access to scholarships and training facilities and may be
loans for concessionary rate."
Extract From news.lk
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