Sri Lankans in coastal areas learning at temples entered ‘Scholar-hal’ (Schools) during the Portuguese rule. Class room education introduced by St. John Baptist De LaSalle of France (Patron saint of Teachers) continued with the Dutch & the British as a violence control tool but those marginalized (due to caste & class etc.) got exposed to the world as a result. Notable example is Buddhist monk Ven. Migettuwatte Gunananda of Panadura debate fame. He gained English oratory skills from the Christian priests at Wesley College & attracted American Colonel Olcott who modernized Buddhist education with fee levying schools. The British established the fee levying University College, Law College & the Technical College at Maradana etc. to manage the colony without violence. CWW Kannangara introduced free education probably to make the population non violent or as an insurance policy to prevent election defeats. However, he was defeated probably since his electorate knew more about Sri Lankan capacity than him.

Violence in the universities

Ever since free education was introduced, especially within universities, high level of violence was recorded with direct links to leftist political parties. District based cut-off marks not only contributed to social unrest but also contributed to the 30 year violent conflict. It is known that university violence management power has by now shifted from the JVP to its breakaway ‘Peratugami’ Party. Hence, if JVP (NPP) gains power they may easily crush university violence & even trade union violence with extreme efficiency. Hopefully they may not sway the state to the ‘Flintstones’ & ‘Rubbles’. However, it is a call for the public including those who hail from the people who defeated CWW. India & China manage their mega populations with minimal social/ university violence. In both countries undergraduate programs are widely decentralized. If graduates trained in the districts are employed to man the services in same districts it will reduce central government involvement & grass roots will manage their affairs with professionals from their own villages & districts.

China’s graduate entrance exam

Chinese Ministry of Education last week published its annual notice on college enrollment for 2024. College entrance examination (gaokao) (equivalent of OL exam) commenced last week. In March 2023 12.91 million people sat for the gaokao exam. The ministry requested regions to ensure that the exam focuses on testing the candidates on their competence & academic caliber in addition to subjects. Before the reforms, high school students were divided into liberal arts & sciences categories. First group focused on politics, history & geography. The second concentrated on physics, chemistry & biology etc. Students could only take the exam once a year & the total score they got would decide which college they could get into. As Chinese enjoy 6G technology, the ministry will also step up its crackdown on cheating in exams using high tech devices which is increasingly becoming an issue also in SL.

Approx 4.38 million college graduates sat for the graduate entrance exam (equivalent of AL exam) in China in December 2023. The number of university graduates in China in 2024 is expected to reach 11.79 million. It is an increase of 210,000 compared to 2023. China has world’s highest number of top universities & more than 2500 of them are included in the Webometrics Rankings of World Universities (Note: Chinese are concerned only about the performance of the individual & doesn’t recognize any rankings). Chinese universities have cooperation agreements with more than 188 international universities.

The total number of students in higher education reached more than 44.3 million in 2022 (Ref. Chinese MoE). Chinese youth educated in colleges & universities will be managing the super power in the decades to come. They will decide on the new moves along the Belt & Road Initiative (China’s 21^st century trade net). SL should also develop a non violent workforce to manage its economy to face the geopolitics in the 21^st century. Merging public universities with the private sector & global institutes of high standards as in China may help that process.

(Views expressed are personal.)