Last week, senior officials at the Presidential Secretariat patiently listened to the student demonstrators and urged them to join the employment generation process initiated by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa instead of holding unruly demonstrations and causing hardship to the public. This indeed is a marked difference from the hitherto approach of dispersing protesting student demonstrators with attacks of tear gas, water jets and baton charges.
While hundreds of students patiently sat facing the President’s Office, the student leaders were invited for discussions with senior officials at the Presidential Secretariat. They explained to them that collecting information on graduates and other qualified diploma holders had now been completed and they would be provided with employment opportunities shortly. Securing the required funds too is underway they said.
Additional Secretary Rohana Abeyratne pointed out to the student leaders that the objective of the Government was to provide employment opportunities in accordance with the degree obtained and existing vacancies at government and semi-government bodies and departments. Recruiting around 53,000 graduates will commence from March 1, he said.
The Government has undertaken the task of ensuring job security for those employed on temporary, casual and contract basis, who have completed 180 days of service. All qualified candidates will be granted permanent employment following discussions with the relevant authorities. During the last two months, an in-depth study had been carried out on the issues faced by university students and those at other higher educational institutes.
The Government endeavours to provide the best possible solutions to these issues. Protestors now enjoy the freedom to demonstrate right opposite the President’s Office. No Government in the past had allowed such freedom.
It is the policy of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to study the issues and provide solutions. The officials at President’s Office spent a considerable amount of time to listen to the grievances of the protestors. The demands of most of the protestors are similar. Last week, six groups staged protests opposite President’s Office. Discussing the concerns of these groups is a time-consuming process, and results in unnecessary delays in the implementation of the Government’s employment program.
In addition, when the roads are blocked by demonstrators, the general public has to suffer unexpected hardships. Further, it is a waste of time and money even for the protestors. The Government requests all protesting groups to understand this reality and have faith in the Government’s process and extend support to make it a success.
Last month, there was a demonstration by university students and the officials found solutions to their grievances after discussions. It was decided to pay the outstanding Mahapola Scholarships and bursary payment for the months of November and December 2019 with immediate effect. Attention was also paid to the possibility of solving speedily other demands related to the Mahapola Scholarship scheme.
They included granting scholarship money to students who have not met the requirement of 80% attendance, bringing the Mahapola and bursary allowances to equal levels, as well as issues related to the Sabaragamuwa University.
Following the discussions the students dispersed in a peaceful manner, a marked departure from the earlier practice of blocking roads, creating traffic congestion, disturbing transport services and inconveniencing commuters.
President Rajapaksa has often stressed the need for educational reforms. Expressing his desire to utilize skilled youths for the progress of the nation, the President emphasized the need to prevent brain drain in order to achieve rapid development in the country.
“If the Government as well as the private sector can ensure that a high standard of education is provided by local universities and other higher educational institutions, it may even be possible for us to start attracting international students to study in Sri Lanka and convert the higher education sector into a foreign exchange earner for the country,” he said recently at a university function. He added that the free education system had a truly transformative impact on Sri Lanka and it should always be protected. Those who can afford to pay for private education should be given the opportunity to follow their higher studies in Sri Lanka instead of going abroad.
There is a great deal of work to be done to achieve the true potential of students by reforming our education system. The present education system is exam-centric. Therefore, students’ opportunities for higher learning have been narrowed considerably. Irrespective of the skills, aptitudes and knowledge gained by students throughout their primary and secondary education, their future is determined by their exam results. This focus on exams has created parental pressure and social pressure on these children. This has resulted in large numbers of children losing out on many opportunities to develop themselves in other ways during one of the most decisive periods in their lives.We cannot allow children to get lost in this education system. It is necessary to broaden the opportunities for further education through both, the state education system as well as through the private sector. It is important to increase the intake of students into universities and other tertiary education institutions. More investments need to be made to upgrade their infrastructure facilities and increase their human resources.
President Rajapaksa said his Government would do everything possible to understand the aspirations and needs of the youth as well as the people. He said that he expected the support of the youth to implement his policies, in the same manner that they supported him to become the President of the country. Now it is for the youth to give this message their due consideration and act in the interest of the country.