Japanese educationalist puzzled by Lankan university protest

January 25, 2012, 9:51 pm , The Island.


By Jayantha de Silva

The current wave of university students’ strikes over the establishment of private universities and the presentation of the private university bill was viewed negatively by two eminent educationalists from Japan.

"In Japan only 20 percent are state universities. In contrast to Sri Lanka Japanese university students ceased to resort to strikes to win their demands since the 70’s, said Professor Kondo Yuichi, Dean of Admissions, of the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University (APU) and Professor of the College of Asia Pacific Studies, in an exclusive interview with The Island on Tuesday (24).

The APU signed agreements with D. S. Senanayake College, Colombo and Trinity College Kandy to offer scholarships to students of the two schools to study at APU.

The Principal of D. S. Senanayake College, Dayaratne Dissanayake and the Principal of Trinity College, Brig. Udaya Ariyaratne and Prof. Kondo Yuichi of APU signed the agreements.

Prof. Yuichi said Sri Lanka also should have private universities due to the fact that the central government’s resources were limited. Private universities’ mission is to identify what to teach’ in context of the National Policy.

He called for the private universities to be empowered with the right to award a wider spectrum of higher degrees with a view to mould future leaders of Asia.

When queried as to how the examinations should be conducted, he explained that one examination could be held by the university itself and the second examination to be held at the national level by the government, thus eliminating a lowering of academic standards.

Asked how the less affluent student segments could gain entry to the private universities he said that in Japan such students were granted long term low interest loans amounting to almost zero interests.

A stipulated requirement was that the loans had to be repaid once the recipients were gainfully employed.

Governments were progressively getting weak.

Sri Lanka should take a cue from Korea and western nations where private universities were in the main stream of education, the Professor noted.

Referring to the advantages students stand to accrue in private universities he explained that by empowering private universities to design their own programmes of studies, it enabled students to select courses according to their aspirations.

Ms. Ikue Matsumo, Senior Admission Counsellor of the (APU) said that opening of private universities augured well for Sri Lanka.

Speaking on modalities on entry requirements, she advocated a minimum three passes at GCE A/L for entry should be stipulated.

She justified low entry requirements as "more can gain entry" to the university.

In addition, a score of 5.5 in IELTS and the stipulated standard in TOFEL should be made mandatory, she said.