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American, Australian expertise to improve SL’s educational framework
View(s):An American and Australian experts will soon be in Sri Lanka to discuss ways of improving the country’s educational framework.
George Washington University’s Associate Professor of International Education and International Affairs, Prof James H. Williams, is due today (15) to formulate a long term programme with Sri Lanka to introduce a National Higher Education Policy Research Center.
Commenting on the professor’s visit, Higher Education Ministry Secretary, Dr Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne said that, to improve higher education within the country, there needs to be a high-quality research centre. “George Washington University has a good higher education research system, and through this programme, Prof William hopes to bring down five other professors who are experts in their fields, to look into our system and help improve its quality,” he said.
The professor will be meeting chancellors and vice chancellors of our local universities to discuss the alternatives we could adapt in our country for improved teaching and learning mechanisms.
An expert team from the Australian Government’s, Department of Industry, Innovation, Climate Change, Science, Research and Tertiary Education (DIICCSRTE) arrives in Sri Lanka on September 30, to discuss and develop a high level quality assurance and qualifications framework implementation plan appropriate to our country.
The team will also look into implementation issues and suggest ways to improve Sri Lanka’s Qualification Framework (SLQF) (Higher Education) proposed by the Ministry of Higher Education. They will develop an organizational structure, staffing requirements, ICT systems processes and training programme to implement the SLQF.
“The DIICCSRTE will help introduce the SLQF to all State and non-State higher education institutes to implement the quality assurance system and allow lateral and vertical mobility of the students by 2015. We hope to get information on how we can implement a practical system suitable for our country, to develop qualifications and also recommendations on the next steps to organizational structure, training and information, staffing and communication technology systems and more,” Dr. Nawaratne said, adding that, the visits from both countries will help develop higher education system in the country and change its traditional means.
(AW)
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