Church ‘backs Sri Lanka’ on education

(July 29, 2010) Sri Lanka’s new education minister says he has Church support for his plans to revamp and expand higher education, after recent talks with Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo. Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake on July 23 paid a courtesy call on Archbishop Ranjith. “The archbishop vowed to help improve and expand higher education in the country,” Dissanayake told after his meeting. During the meeting, the minister outlined his challenges and plans for improving higher education to provide more opportunities, enhance competition and bridge the skills gap in the country. Sri Lanka’s higher education system has suffered a lack of funds over recent years, which has seen little investment in universities. As a result, the majority of those who qualify for free university education have been unable to get places in the 17 state-run institutions. The minister and archbishop therefore agreed something had to be done to increase the number of places, which stands at 22,000, to enable more of the 130,000 students wanting a university education each year. The archbishop has a thorough knowledge of higher education matters in the country said the minister. They spoke on essential improvements, such as in curriculums, standard of education, and policies to obtain jobs after graduation. The government has already decided to establish private universities including a Catholic University to help alleviate the problem of local students competing for jobs with those from universities overseas. Dissanayake has promised to give private university status to Aquinas University College after studying present legislation, said college rector Father Placidus de Silva.