Science, technology and the dream
Science and Technology Minister Prof Tissa Vitharana
has said that the Government intends to increase the number of
researchers in the Universities from the present 4,600 to 7200
in five years. In order to achieve the target he proposes to
increase them at the rate of 500 per year.
Thus the Government has acknowledged the dearth of science
and technology personnel in the country. This brings us to the
role of science and technology in economic development. Today in
the knowledge economy science itself has become a force of
Sri Lanka has declared its intention of becoming the wonder
of Asia. The realization of this dream depends on a lot of
factors. Though dedication, commitment and resolve are essential
components of the national drive for its realization much more
Sri Lanka is presently at a comparatively low level of
development of science and technology. That is why it has been
unable to save enough resources to meet its investment
requirements. The savings rate at present is around 18 percent
of the GDP. In order to get adequate capital accumulation for
investment the country needs to at least double the present rate
of savings. This is not feasible without an adequate increase in
the productivity of labour.
To increase the productivity of labour one has to apply
developed technology. That requires the development of human
resources and Research and Development (R & D). Unfortunately
these spheres are in a state of neglect at present. Our
University system, which should produce human resources
necessary for accelerated development of the economy, has failed
badly. Not only have they failed to produce the required R & D
personnel and other man power required, they have even
degenerated in their academic standards. Even established
Universities have gone down in their rankings to an alarming
Besides, there is no culture of research in the Universities.
An urgent re-orientation of our universities towards research is
necessary. In this context the proposal of the Minister to
increase the number of researchers in the Universities is
Sri Lanka spends a minimal amount on R & D. General Expenses
for R & D (GERD) in Sri Lanka is about 0.14 percent of the GDP.
Even Nepal and Bangladesh spend a little over 0.6 percent of the
GDP on R & D. China spends about 1.5 percent and South Korea
2.64 percent. Israel spends the largest amount, 4.46 percent of
the GDP. Sri Lanka has been stagnating at the present rate for
more than a decade. It is necessary to double this rate if we
are not to lag behind other countries in South Asia.
The neglect of science and technology in the country is seen
from the smaller number of scientists relative to the
population, the smaller number of research publications and the
almost total lack of patents filed and licences obtained. Sri
Lanka has only about 190 scientists and researchers per million
population compared to 430 and 330 respectively in Malaysia and
Thailand. In Japan the figure is 5,085.
Sri Lanka has an export oriented economy. However the
increased revenues are devoured by rising import costs.
Competition from countries with more advanced technology makes
our goods less marketable and profitable in the international
market. That is why we need to infuse higher technology to our
agriculture and industry. High technology exports amount to only
one percent of our manufacturing exports. We have to increase it
several fold, if we are to remain competitive in the global
market. In Pakistan high technology exports account for two
percent of their total manufacturing exports. The corresponding
figure for India is five percent. In Singapore and Thailand it
is 12 and 27 percent respectively.
There are several causes for the low science base in the
country. One is the low infrastructure facilities for research
and development. Higher education is not geared towards
research, causing the country to rely on foreign technology.
Lack of funding by state and utter neglect by the private sector
is another cause. The dearth of design and engineering
facilities for research is another drawback. Preference for
foreign technology over local technology and innovation is
another contributory factor to this sad state of affairs.
All these issues have to be addressed quickly if we are to
embark on a path towards accelerated development. Otherwise, the
dream of becoming the wonder of Asia would remain a distant
dream confined only to the realm of fictitious rhetoric.