ICT penetration

Sri Lanka, April 20 -- India which was behind Sri Lanka in 2008, in ICT penetration (judged by the number of phones, the number of internet users, and the number of broadband subscriptions and the number of personal computers, per 100 people) despite its vast size with a population of 60 times that of Sri Lanka, is fast catching up, and that many more innovative products have been coming out of the corporate sector of India than its counterpart in Sri Lanka, even making the life of a Sri Lankan housewife easier. Take for example, the car 'Nano' which India has put out beating Japanese giants like Toyota and Nissans.

A lot more can and should be done, and that too faster, in regard to tertiary education, ICT penetration and innovation and 'enabling' environment in order to build the knowledge economy and maintain a competitive edge over our Asian neighbours.

Sri Lanka has achieved almost 100 percent in literacy and school enrolment, but we are far behind in equity of access to qualitative and relevant tertiary education. Inadequacy of budgetary resources has been the biggest constraint here. The Government has allocated less than 3 percent of the GDP to the entire education sector, less than one fifth of it only comes into to tertiary education. This is hardly adequate. While the Government must increase its budget to education by cutting down non-essential and ostentatious expenditure elsewhere and minimizing waste and corruption wherever they occur, the private sector must be drawn in as a provider of higher education along with the Government. At the same time, universities themselves must become entrepreneurial. It is gratifying in this context that the University of Moratuwa has made a beginning in building up entrepreneurial partnerships with the private sector, as evident from the consultancy consortia they have already established.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Daily News Sri Lanka.

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