Prof. G. L. Peiris – From Academic to Cabinet Minister of Education
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From Vice Chancellor to Cabinet Minister
Prof G L Peiris has had a long journey from his 26yrs of service in the academia, to when he resigned from the post of Vice Chancellor at the University of Colombo. After having managed numerous portfolios including Justice, Constitutional Affairs, and External Trade, it could be said that he is now back to his roots with the new portfolio in Education. “This new portfolio is refreshing. I am a teacher at heart and my background is in academia” he said.
Students at the Forefront
“President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is convinced that the future of the country is in its human resources” Prof Peiris stated. In this regard, priority will be given to providing students the desperately needed facilities and opportunities.
The need for prompt action was emphasised. “184,000 students qualify for university each year. However, we only have space for 31,000 students in the current system. This disparity needs to be addressed promptly” he said. He stated that the target is to increase the next intake by 15,000 students.
Lateral Education
Prof Peiris explained the need for lateral education paths such as the Open University and vocational education. “A major impediment faced by the Open University is the lack of equipment. USD 300,000 is expected from the World Bank to update facilities such as in IT. This will be done so that the intake can be increased. An urgent need to revamp the Open University is seen”.
“We have several institutes such as the National Apprentice and Industrial Training Authority (NAITA), the Department of Vocational Training and the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission (TVEC). The apex of vocational training in Sri Lanka is the University of Vocational Technology (UNIVOTEC). In addition, we have nine colleges of technology in the country – one per province. These offer courses in areas including plumbing, carpentry, beauty culture and interior design. However, the impediment is the lack of resources and trained personnel”.
Yasith Gamage, Hon. Prof. G.L Peiris, Senal Warnakula and Mahishka Mendis
He added that while there is a need for 240,000 students to pursue vocational training, only 175,000 students can be presently accommodated.
Prof Peiris acknowledged the lack of local trained personnel for the expansion. “I have spoken to the High Commission of India, and we are expecting their help in this regard” he confirmed.
Education and Employability
“There is a huge mismatch between the content of education and employability. The higher the education level of a person, the higher their expectations”. Recalling the insurrections that Sri Lanka faced, he explained that this has been a prevalent problem and the assassination of Prof. Stanley Wijesundara was symbolic of indignation concerning the social order.
In order to rectify the gap between education and employability, Prof Peiris stated that the first step is curriculum development. “Currently there is a strong focus on memorisation. Education must develop critical and analytical capacities of students. This is not happening at the moment”. He spoke about the necessity to talk to the private sector to ascertain bridging the gap and creating employable graduates. “I am determined that decisions are not made in a top down approach. Curriculum development must be applicable to all stake holders – be it the students, teachers, employers or even parents.”
Science, Technology and English
Prof Peiris stated that Science, Technology and English have been identified as focus areas.
“An assessment done in 2019 resulted in 39% of the participants failing English”. It is noted thereby that 55% of teachers in rural schools need further training. Prof Peiris referred to English being known as a kaduwa (sword), causing enormous disparities and resentment between students. “The Swabasha counterparts may have equal or more knowledge as students who have high English proficiency, but miss out on opportunities. This causes resentment towards the system.”
The Way Forward
Prof. Peiris stated that the last election campaign was an unconventional one and the president was able to talk to people throughout the country and understand their needs. It was stated that the recurring demands had been to place children in national schools, and to address unemployment. He said that cabinet papers will be presented with utmost urgency in this regard.
A need for a transparent and accountable ministry was also emphasised. “The Education Ministry is the culmination of what used to be five independent ministries. It covers the whole spectrum of Education, ranging from primary, secondary and tertiary education to even the religious underpinnings in education. We therefore function with one cabinet minister and five state ministers. A periodic review will be conducted every three months to gauge success, shortcomings and failures” Prof Peiris said.
In this regard, a weekly column will be published from the following week in the Sunday Times Education, informing citizens on the developments in the ministry, and the journey towards fulfilling its goals.
Mahishka Mendis