Provision for referenda
is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be used very
effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national issues. The
irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for the intended
purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R Jayewardene used
the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament without holding a
general election.
By Gamini Abeywardane
The idea of using the constitutional option of holding a referendum on a nationally important matter came from none other than President Gotabaya Rajapaksa this week. It was when he said he was ready to hold even a national referendum to change the higher education policy to make it suitable for the country’s modern needs.
The occasion
was when he met Vice Chancellors of the national universities along with members
of the University Grants Commission to discuss the issues relating to reforms
in higher education. One of the major current issues is the non employability
of particularly arts graduates passing out of the universities due to lack of
vital skills needed in the job market.
The issue is
a long standing one probably coming down from late sixties, but none of the
ruling politicians ever made a genuine effort to sort out the problem. They all
have been talking about the abstract idea of higher education reforms and
appointing committees to make recommendations while practically doing nothing
to sort it out.
With change
of medium of instruction and expansion of university education following
political and social changes that began in 1956 a new problem arose when the
country started producing arts graduates beyond its requirements.
Most of them
were qualified in subjects that had practically no relevance for available jobs
while they lacked the minimum skills in vital subjects like the English
language and information technology. The net result was although the private
sector had opportunities they were not ready to employ these graduates.
We cannot
afford to go on producing large numbers of non-employable graduates at public
expenses. Obviously the system needs major reforms if we are to progress as a
country. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fortunately seems to have correctly
understood the issue and also identified the possible solutions without much loss
of time.
He had
suggested teaching these undergraduates information technology and a foreign
language to make them suitable for the employment market. Probably a subject
like management also can be included in addition to a main art subject that a
student can select.
This is
probably the most simple and practical way of resolving the issue although
there is likely to be opposition from the traditional academic types.We as a
country will not be able to progress unless we introduce some revolutionary
changes in our system of education.
As suggested
by the President referenda can be used as a way of finding out the opinion of
the people on such issues so that whatever the policy changes introduced can be
permanent and long lasting, unaffected by political changes.
Provision
for referenda is a major democratic step in the 1978 Constitution. It can be
used very effectively to find out the opinion of the people on vital national
issues. The irony is that ever since its introduction it has not been used for
the intended purpose. Instead the very man who introduced it, President J R
Jayewardene used the referendum in 1982 to extend the life of the Parliament
without holding a general election.
Nearly four
decades later it is a salutary development that a leader has thought of using
it for nationally important issues. It’s a useful method developed in the
Scandinavian countries in order to find the people’s opinion on important
matters.
Going one
step further, it can be much beneficial if the mode of conducting a referendum
can be made easier and less costly with modern technology. Since a referendum
is a non-binding one it could be conducted even through the internet. That way
the concept of referenda can be used effectively to develop permanent policies
on all our national issues.
Often the
ideas promoted by political groups are not necessarily the opinion of the
people, but eventually they are implemented by fooling the politically active
sections of the people causing damage to the country in the long run while the
majority of the people observe in silence. So-called revolutionary changes in
our university system in the sixties are a classic example and that is where
the root of the today’s problem is.
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