National Prosperity Role of Education Decided by the population…!
By Ananda Ariyarathne-2018-02-16
A population with a very large percentage of elderly people is different from the scenario where a larger percentage is younger people, who are naturally more energetic. Any plans made without understanding this aspect shall end up in wrong strategies.
Aspects of population
Based on the latest estimates of the United Nations, the population of Sri Lanka is 20, 921,515 as of Friday, February 9, 2018. For its size, Sri Lanka has a considerable population. Naturally, the most densely populated areas are the urban concentrations that have developed around regional main cities, starting with Colombo. The Annual Growth rate applicable has been identified as 0.913%, which is almost 01%.
Composition of the population with regard to age shows that the 'effective manpower' is about 42.6% which covers the Age Bracket - section that is 25-54 years. It is a highly significant aspect as it is this bracket that becomes the most productive. It also gives an alarming signal that the remaining 57.4% is less or not productive and therefore can become more or less a burden.
Another indication is that just an ordinary effort shall not bring in any positive results. That means that the efforts to be made have to be exceptionally efficient and productive.
The age bracket 54-65 years amounts to 09.1% of the population and the effectiveness of that group depends on the strategic approaches decided by policy makers. This is an aspect that evidently had not received due attention. The complication comes linked with 'retirement age' and it is amply proved by the presence of retired officials being recruited to man projects and special assignments.
The negative aspect of that group is the possible loss of physical efficiency due to old age which wears out the capacity for endurance. The level of experience of that sector can be useful as the knowledge required in skills development in the capacity enhancement of available human resources is already there, and it shall be a matter of identifying the logical path to be taken.
Therefore, it is a group that need not be set aside as useless. Together, those two sections make roughly about 51.7% of the population. The indication that people above 65 years of age cover 8.1% of the population indicate that such individuals belong to 'the dependent portion of the population' who become the burden of the government under its 'social security' responsibilities.
Out of the 'Dependent Bracket,' 24.1% are in the 0-14 year age group as actually the first part of national investment as it is the section that offers the 'nation' resource material for the 'Future Work Force.' The most important age group is 15-24 years which covers High School and University levels. That section of the population that can be tagged as 'National Youth Resources Base' as it is this vibrant portion that can be really productive and it amounts roughly to 18.5%.
Another highly sensitive area for the government is the special attention it has to give to prevent malnutrition and to offer Public Health related programmes to ensure a healthy society. The most important measurement is the birth rate, which denote maternity and post natal care, which indicates the necessity to ensure a healthy base for Human Resources. That is another high cost area that cannot be avoided but definitely is an essential sector in 'National Investment in Human Resources. '
Unavoidable Sociological aspects
Although Sri Lanka is categorized as a country with multiple ethnicities, there are only two most prominent communities and they are the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils. Historical facts point out that the Sinhalese people had been the main community that occupied this country predominantly. Constant influence from the South India civilization which existed right throughout made it a natural development that there is a considerable number of people identified as Sri Lankan Tamils who do not obviously have any biological differences from the Sinhalese, as they are just one people divided by two cultures.
Due to periodical exposures to direct administration by Tamil rulers who came there with their armies settled down, the Tamil community of the north and eastern parts of Sri Lanka was created.
Subsequently, when the British rulers brought in Tamil workers to serve in the newly introduced Plantation Sector, Sri Lanka got a sizeable Tamil Community added on to the population of Sri Lanka. It is a significant aspect as the Sri Lankan Tamil population was less than the Indian Tamils at the time of Independence. (Sinhalese 74.9%, Sri Lankan Tamil 11.2%, Sri Lankan Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamil 4.2%, other 0.5% (2012 estimates).
As it stands now, the composition is that the Sinhalese make up around 75% of the total population and are concentrated in the Central and South-western parts of the country while the ancient Sinhalese Villages still exist in the Northern and Eastern regions.
The Tamil people make up around 11.9% of the total population identified as Sri Lankan Tamils and Indian Tamils and have become the largest minority present in the country.
This created a highly sensitive relationship that led to a war that caused bloodshed and traumatic experiences which have left behind grievances and hard feelings which call for more serious thinking in planning. For example a housing project in the South can be just a normal facility while a similar housing scheme in the North or East where people underwent severe hardships may involve families of single mothers who do not have breadwinners. These mothers may not have life experience other than 'combat life' and other connected rigors, which cannot even be discussed in public without creating embarrassment to the victims. Their main concern would be employment that would be inseparable from any solutions given to such people.
Muslims who have evolved out of migrant South Indian people as well as the Sinhalese and have become the second largest community are spread all over the country as a special community of people who played a major role in internal as well as external trading. This unique composition has a direct influence on 'politics' and that way on government policies. The consequential outcome is its effect on policy planning, although it is an aspect never admitted officially. At times, it has become an unnecessary obstacle to planning realistically logical regional development. This has affected the most important national investment – Education, which is the basis for Human Resources Development.
Population related features
Although it is officially recognized that there is a very 'positive large work force,' the absence of a realistic master plan has prevented really meaningful economic development that can envelope the total population and that way to achieve a truly meaningful effort to bring about prosperity to all people without any discriminatory developments, in the overall picture.
The information we have through the most reliable sources headed by the Department of Statistics shows that the Adult population in Sri Lanka is 14, 884,042 and it tells us another aspect that the younger section of the population is approximately about two thirds of the population. As the classification of 'adult' best fits youth who have passed 18 years, we can see that such youth shall have to wait at least six more years before they can be employed. That is a position which denotes two aspects at the same time. One is that the young citizen has become a 'Revenue Earner' and ceases to be a dependent, while he or she has become an active contributor to national productivity.
Our status
Now the population in our country is 20, 950,041 as per information available in the month of January 2018 and just 70 years ago, just after two years from independence, the population had been 7,971,098 and the present population is almost a threefold increase. It raises the question whether the real development achieved is in line with the 'National Burden or the Responsibility' that kept on increasing. The importance is in the ability of a government to envisage the magnitude of complications that shall come connected.
Role of Education
It is quite evident that it is not just a process where some scholars get together and set an imaginary path for the National Economy to take.
As the whole process starts and ends with the people, it is highly essential that there is a clear understanding about the people and it is the correct and most logical analysis of the features of the population that can give guidance in identifying key issues.
Then taking stock of the assets, the resources we already have and then the assets and resources that can be acquired in the process.
Taking the national status first for understanding the national goals and then breaking down the processes to identify 'Contributory Plans' shall give us the most logical path we have to resort to.
Now we can understand the significance of the Framework that has to be set by any government in its plans for investment in Human Resources. Roughly, it is youth 18 - 25 years who can be diverted into the areas of specializations to suit national needs.
As all the youth cannot end up as scholars and geniuses, the youth shall have to be provided with opportunities to enhance their capacities in the areas they shall be most effective.
The Investment by the government in people is here and if the Education Policy has features which look very impressive but borrowed from Finland or any other place, such shall not give the answers to the challenges our nation has. The total education shall go through preschool, primary, elementary, secondary, university and post graduate levels but as a logically and effortlessly interwoven system that shall be linked to all the remotest sections in our society and that shall be the only way to conserve our natural resources and generate more resources that can and shall bring in benefits to our nation.
Courtesy - Department of Census & Statistics, and other resources found on Internet
About the writer
A Graduate from the University of Ceylon, Peradeniya and read for MBA at the PIM, is a Management Consultant, specialized in 'sick unit rehabilitation' has Four Books already to his credit, and serves as a visiting lecturer and an Examiner at SLIDA
