By Darshani Wimalasuriya
The quality of Sri Lankan university education is declining rapidly. According to the World ranking Sri Lankan universities are now lower than the universities of failed states in Africa. Major universities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe are now in a superior position than the Sri Lankan universities. Instead of educational quality Sri Lankan universities are now famous for violence, extremist student politics, strikes, low productivity, and moral decay.
Mr. Navarathna Banda – a senior lecture attached to the Sri Jayawardhanapura University provides factors that pushed the Sri Lankan universities in to a deplorable state. According to Mr. Navarathna Banda over 90 % of Sri Lankan university professors and senior lectures are under qualified and do not have a wider exposure. Majority of these university teachers are working in the same universities where they graduated and they do not have any overseas exposure or experience. Academically speaking their knowledge and experiences are stunted. Their knowledge is limited and outdated. These university teachers cannot provide students to face the educational challenges of the 21st century.
Over the last 30 years the Sri Lankan universities failed to do any world class research, conduct any validated scientific study or to do a notable publication that captured the attention of the international academia. These failures represent the emptiness that is filled in our universities. To cover-up these failures Professor Naleen De Silva recently did an Arsenic research at the Kelaniya University violating all the international research standards and it became a laughing stock among the academic community.
Ragging and Violence in the Sri Lankan Universities
Unfortunately ragging and violence have become an inseparable part of the local universities. Ragging involves harassment, abuse and humiliation that are aimed at the new students. It is a major form of human right violation. According to our assumption 100 % of former Sri Lankan university students have faced hazing -either physical or verbal abuse as first year students. So far no one could not disprove it and we challenge anyone to come forward and refute this statement.
The award-winning Sri Lankan film and tele-drama actress Yashoda Wimaladharma reveals that she had to undergo brutal ragging while studying at the University of Kelaniya and it became an emotional shock for her father Mr. R. L. Wimaladharma who served as a lecturer at the Kelaniya campus. According to Yashoda Wimaladharma her father could not witness these merciless harassment to his daughter and he suffered a heart attack.
The Student Unions
Sri Lankan Universities have student political groups that are manipulated by the extremists. When a new batch of students arrives at the University, they are intimidated and threatened to use physical ragging by the seniors. Often the new students are not allowed to have a dialog with the university lecturers, not allowed ask questions at the lectures, not allowed to take part in the English courses and not allowed to use the university library by these extreme student unions. In some universities the students are not allowed to drink beverages like coca cola. This sanction was vigorously implemented at the University of Colombo and University of Kelaniya.
The senior students of the Sri Lankan universities use physical and sexual harassment to control the newcomers.
The Poor State of Sri Lankan Medical Faculties
One time Sri Lankan medical schools produced knowledgeable doctors who had international recognition. Unfortunately this trend has changed over the past few decades. According to a prominent Sri Lankan medical doctor who is workings as an associate professor in an American university, the quality of Sri Lankan medical faculties has come down. Majority of the Sri Lankan doctors who graduated in the past few decades have very poor English knowledge and they are unable to communicate effectively and professionally. He further says that Sri Lankan doctors lack attitudinal training, medical ethics and accountability towards their patients. According to the international ranking of medical schools many medical schools of the 3rd world countries such as Nigeria, Nepal, India, and Tanzania have beaten the Sri Lankan medical faculties.
Sri Lankan Universities are Virtually Dead
Sri Lankan Universities are virtually dead says a senior lecturer attached to the University of Colombo. According to him qualified professors go to the overseas universities seeking prosperous job opportunities. Only the old and inefficient academics are trapped in the local universities. Majority of the Sri Lankan University Professors and senior lecturers do not want to improve the quality of the local universities or stop sadistic ragging. They never send their children to the Sri Lankan Universities. Their children go to the universities in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. These irresponsible actions have created a huge academic void in the local universities.
Sri Lankan Universities are backward than the African Universities
The African Universities are now internationally more recognized than the Sri Lankan Universities. According to the 2012 world university ranking Makerere University (Uganda) has come to the 1174 place demonstrating a superior educational quality than Sri Lankan higher education institutes. Ironically Idi Amen’s Uganda has easily defeated the major universities in Sri Lanka. These Sri Lankan universities now represent a very low level of international ranking.
While Sri Lankan universities struggle with their low quality of education Polytechnic of Namibia has come to the 1319th place and Sudan’s University of Khartoum to 1394th place, University of Nairobi 1435th , Mansoura University of Egypt to1685th , University of Ghana 1797th Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University 1903rd , Tanzania’s University of Dar Es Salaam 1977th and Sudan‘s University of Science & Technology to 2020th place. Most of these African countries have low literacy rate than Sri Lanka. But they defeated all our local universities in the international arena.
Need Action
Regrettably Sri Lankan Universities are facing moral and educational degradation especially in the last four decades. One time Sri Lankan universities were the shining examples of higher education and academic leadership. Unfortunately the qualities of education and research work in the Sri Lankan universities have gone down drastically. Today Sri Lankan universities are lagging behind. According to the 2012 World University Ranking Sri Lankan universities have a lower position and some African countries with low literacy rate than Sri Lanka have far more better educational ranking than the Sri Lankan Universities.
Education is not a privilege. It is a human right. Higher education is the only hope and salvation to the Sri Lankans and do not let anyone to destroy it.
Full Story on http://colombogazette.com/2013/12/12/sri-lankan-universities-falling-apart/
2014 Sri Lankan University Ranking
Earlier World rankings:
2013 July
http://studentlanka.com/2013/08/27/...rding-to-webometrics-world-ranking-2013-july/
Hiran
University Senior Lecturer at University of Sri Jayewardenepra, Sri Lanka
Comments
EDIT : To everyone who says rankings are all about research!
The quality of Sri Lankan university education is declining rapidly. According to the World ranking Sri Lankan universities are now lower than the universities of failed states in Africa. Major universities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe are now in a superior position than the Sri Lankan universities. Instead of educational quality Sri Lankan universities are now famous for violence, extremist student politics, strikes, low productivity, and moral decay.
Mr. Navarathna Banda – a senior lecture attached to the Sri Jayawardhanapura University provides factors that pushed the Sri Lankan universities in to a deplorable state. According to Mr. Navarathna Banda over 90 % of Sri Lankan university professors and senior lectures are under qualified and do not have a wider exposure. Majority of these university teachers are working in the same universities where they graduated and they do not have any overseas exposure or experience. Academically speaking their knowledge and experiences are stunted. Their knowledge is limited and outdated. These university teachers cannot provide students to face the educational challenges of the 21st century.
Over the last 30 years the Sri Lankan universities failed to do any world class research, conduct any validated scientific study or to do a notable publication that captured the attention of the international academia. These failures represent the emptiness that is filled in our universities. To cover-up these failures Professor Naleen De Silva recently did an Arsenic research at the Kelaniya University violating all the international research standards and it became a laughing stock among the academic community.
Ragging and Violence in the Sri Lankan Universities
Unfortunately ragging and violence have become an inseparable part of the local universities. Ragging involves harassment, abuse and humiliation that are aimed at the new students. It is a major form of human right violation. According to our assumption 100 % of former Sri Lankan university students have faced hazing -either physical or verbal abuse as first year students. So far no one could not disprove it and we challenge anyone to come forward and refute this statement.
The award-winning Sri Lankan film and tele-drama actress Yashoda Wimaladharma reveals that she had to undergo brutal ragging while studying at the University of Kelaniya and it became an emotional shock for her father Mr. R. L. Wimaladharma who served as a lecturer at the Kelaniya campus. According to Yashoda Wimaladharma her father could not witness these merciless harassment to his daughter and he suffered a heart attack.
The Student Unions
Sri Lankan Universities have student political groups that are manipulated by the extremists. When a new batch of students arrives at the University, they are intimidated and threatened to use physical ragging by the seniors. Often the new students are not allowed to have a dialog with the university lecturers, not allowed ask questions at the lectures, not allowed to take part in the English courses and not allowed to use the university library by these extreme student unions. In some universities the students are not allowed to drink beverages like coca cola. This sanction was vigorously implemented at the University of Colombo and University of Kelaniya.
The senior students of the Sri Lankan universities use physical and sexual harassment to control the newcomers.
The Poor State of Sri Lankan Medical Faculties
One time Sri Lankan medical schools produced knowledgeable doctors who had international recognition. Unfortunately this trend has changed over the past few decades. According to a prominent Sri Lankan medical doctor who is workings as an associate professor in an American university, the quality of Sri Lankan medical faculties has come down. Majority of the Sri Lankan doctors who graduated in the past few decades have very poor English knowledge and they are unable to communicate effectively and professionally. He further says that Sri Lankan doctors lack attitudinal training, medical ethics and accountability towards their patients. According to the international ranking of medical schools many medical schools of the 3rd world countries such as Nigeria, Nepal, India, and Tanzania have beaten the Sri Lankan medical faculties.
Sri Lankan Universities are Virtually Dead
Sri Lankan Universities are virtually dead says a senior lecturer attached to the University of Colombo. According to him qualified professors go to the overseas universities seeking prosperous job opportunities. Only the old and inefficient academics are trapped in the local universities. Majority of the Sri Lankan University Professors and senior lecturers do not want to improve the quality of the local universities or stop sadistic ragging. They never send their children to the Sri Lankan Universities. Their children go to the universities in United Kingdom, United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand etc. These irresponsible actions have created a huge academic void in the local universities.
Sri Lankan Universities are backward than the African Universities
The African Universities are now internationally more recognized than the Sri Lankan Universities. According to the 2012 world university ranking Makerere University (Uganda) has come to the 1174 place demonstrating a superior educational quality than Sri Lankan higher education institutes. Ironically Idi Amen’s Uganda has easily defeated the major universities in Sri Lanka. These Sri Lankan universities now represent a very low level of international ranking.
While Sri Lankan universities struggle with their low quality of education Polytechnic of Namibia has come to the 1319th place and Sudan’s University of Khartoum to 1394th place, University of Nairobi 1435th , Mansoura University of Egypt to1685th , University of Ghana 1797th Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University 1903rd , Tanzania’s University of Dar Es Salaam 1977th and Sudan‘s University of Science & Technology to 2020th place. Most of these African countries have low literacy rate than Sri Lanka. But they defeated all our local universities in the international arena.
Need Action
Regrettably Sri Lankan Universities are facing moral and educational degradation especially in the last four decades. One time Sri Lankan universities were the shining examples of higher education and academic leadership. Unfortunately the qualities of education and research work in the Sri Lankan universities have gone down drastically. Today Sri Lankan universities are lagging behind. According to the 2012 World University Ranking Sri Lankan universities have a lower position and some African countries with low literacy rate than Sri Lanka have far more better educational ranking than the Sri Lankan Universities.
Education is not a privilege. It is a human right. Higher education is the only hope and salvation to the Sri Lankans and do not let anyone to destroy it.
Full Story on http://colombogazette.com/2013/12/12/sri-lankan-universities-falling-apart/
2014 Sri Lankan University Ranking
Earlier World rankings:
2013 July
http://studentlanka.com/2013/08/27/...rding-to-webometrics-world-ranking-2013-july/
Hiran
University Senior Lecturer at University of Sri Jayewardenepra, Sri Lanka
Comments
- Hiran February 16, 2014 at 11:13 pm - World class university should concentrate on Teaching and Research. That is why all World University Ranking systems give major emphasis on Research.
There are other rankings systems such as QS ranking, Times Higher Education etc. In those rankings none of the Sri Lankan universities got any place.
EDIT : To everyone who says rankings are all about research!
Last edited:
and yeah some of them are in 1000 
