Change of attitude for salary solutions

Salary problems usually escalate into national issues and the present situation of university teachers is another example of this fact. After agitating for salary increases for many months, the situation has become acute, with teachers tending their resignations despite continuing to work normally in their appointed positions. The Education Ministry took a serious stand at one point to accept these resignations, but events proved otherwise. However, what cannot be ignored is that this is a serious situation that is likely to occur repeatedly until strong policy measures are taken.

On the one hand the Government cannot be entirely blamed for this situation since there are limited funds available for salaries of public servants. On the other hand, lecturers and professors who have worked for many years to gain their qualifications want a good salary for their efforts. This is also one reason for university teachers to seek greener pastures elsewhere and the brain drain has depleted our university system of quality teachers. Those who have chosen to remain behind for whatever reason have repeatedly fought to get better payment and this is hardly surprising given that salaries in Sri Lanka are considered to be the lowest in the South Asian region.

Bring into this equation Government plans to begin private universities and an already tenuous situation becomes complex. It is clear that protectionism has prevented public universities from reaching their full potential and for university teachers from not only getting good salaries but also increasing their professional standards through best practices, upgrading teaching methodologies and gaining new knowledge. This scenario calls for a change of attitude more than salary processes.

If an overall upgrading of the university system is the permanent solution to salary issues, then private universities are worth considering. This would by no means create a situation detrimental to public universities, but rather, through the infusion of fresh capital, technology and competition, encourage a more open approach to university teaching. Lecturers and professors would then have the opportunity to consider gaining a working opportunity at the salary of their choice by aspiring to it through gaining better skills.

At the moment teaching standards of university teachers are also in doubt. Sad as this may be for all stakeholders – especially students – to be winners, the status quo has to change. If university teachers are to be given better salaries, then they have to provide better quality in return. Therefore, the best encouragement would be to give incentives through a more competitive working environment. This does not mean that all university teachers would take the option of working for private institutions. If they are given competitive rates from public universities, then the best will remain in the public universities. But the real winner will be quality and by extension the rest of the country.

For the economy to develop, there has to be a massive leap in the standard and type of higher education that is delivered in the country. For this to manifest, there must be stronger motivation from university teachers to learn and then pass on new knowledge evolving in the rest of the world. If they are encouraged to give better standards of education, then the problems finds a solution by itself. This might be oversimplifying things, but there must be a beginning to finding a solution. The rest of the details can be sorted out with regulations and the right policy work, but the real challenge is in opening minds.