Sri Lanka is emerging from one of the worst chapters in its timeline on the economic, political and talent fronts. And education is being touted as a critical pillar to ensure sustainable growth and national development in the future.

“Having been through such difficult times, to be where we are today is not an easy task,” said Dr. Asanga Ranasinghe – who is a Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Management (PIM) – on LMDtv recently.

He noted: “Coming out of the economic crisis and moving forward, I think the most important aspect is the youth of this country.”

“[We need] educated youth who can make decisions knowing what is happening in the global environment and will be the [future] leaders of the country,” he asserted.

Ranasinghe elaborated: “We need to look at producing an education system that creates qualified people with a global mindset to work in the academic field or industry – to make Sri Lanka a country that can compete on a global scale.”

He stressed that the required standards in the country’s education system encompass both public and private institutions: “We have to ensure that the learning and teaching experience that our [future] leaders undergo is of international repute, and consistent with what’s needed in the industry.”

Moreover, he emphasised the importance of ensuring that postgraduate education is accessible to all youth in the country.

One of the goals of Sri Lanka’s higher education system is to nurture industry ready professionals. “I would say they’re industry ready but of course, they could be better,” he added.

“This is a never-ending pursuit because industry dynamics change every day,” Ranasinghe explained.

Referring to students as ‘learning partners,’ he added that it’s important to keep revising and reviewing the education system, by “looking at what is happening in the world and bringing those changes to our curriculum.”

He continued: “It doesn’t matter whether it’s private or public education [because] it’s the same objective that we are trying to achieve – we’re trying to develop leaders for the country and the world at large. So we have to make sure that they’re as future ready as possible.”

“To make them future ready, they have to be taught; they must be exposed and given experience of what is required in the future,” he stressed, adding that “if you teach them what happened in the past, we would be foolish to assume that they will gain the skills and competencies required for the future.”

Ranasinghe also discussed how educators and resource persons should be geared to deliver future proof education: “We need to gear up. We need to learn first and be tuned into what is happening in the world. The technology we use in our institutions has to be upgraded and updated; they have to be very modern.”

“We can’t be satisfied with what we have today,” he maintained, in the context of the changing dynamics of education. Ranasinghe elaborated: “People in the future will not want to come to classrooms – even libraries will have to change.”

Adding to this trend of thought, he noted that “a lot of things need to change based on what’s required for the future; so you need to make those changes today. You have to equip learning partners for the future in a way that they have the confidence, tools and competencies to compete and win in the global marketplace.”

He highlighted the need for collaboration between industry and education: “Industries need to partner with universities, postgraduate institutes and business schools, and handhold these institutions to make changes – and then collaborate in the areas of research and development. Partnerships are essential; collaboration and interdependence is the way to go.”

“Higher education has to be recognised as a sector that will contribute to the future of this country and the world,” he said, concluding that it has to be looked at as an investment in the future.