The challenges for science in the new century: A Sri Lankan perspective

by Prof. A. D. V. de S. Indraratna
The thrust and developments of science which will dominate the early part of the next century will no doubt include the use and dissemination of knowledge by a rapidly advancing and expanding information technology, the pervasive use of bio-technology inclusive of tissue culture or cloning in agriculture and medicine, the wide-spread use of science to conserve and improve our environment by reversing the ill-effects of the preceding century of science and technology such as atmospheric ozone depletion, global warming and sea-level rise, air and water pollution, with the greater use of environment friendly sources of energy such as solar and wind power and the revolutionising of the concept of goods and passenger transport. These thrusts and developments of science and technology will have to be, of course, made in the new century in the context of globalisation of production and of trade with liberalisation of economies and the formation of free trade blocs with open regionalism under WTO rules.

In the twentieth century, we have seen the end of two World Wars, the Nazi racism and the cold war, and the disintegration of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. However towards the end of the century, they seem to have been replaced by even worse scourges such as of increasing international terrorism and insecurity, drug trafficking proliferation of arsenals of nuclear weapons, increasing violence and crime and abuse of children and human rights of unprecedented proportions.

Developing countries have been worse affected by these events of this new scenario and paradigm of the latter part of the twentieth century than their developed counterparts, in view of the former's problems of increasing poverty and unemployment aggravated very often by their multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-linguistic societies and ageing populations. Therefore the challenges for science faced by developing countries would not be identical in nature and scope from those faced by developed countries.

Widening gap
We were presented yesterday by the President of the British Association with an excellent compre-hensive review of challenges for science for the United Kingdom - and may be for similar developed countries. I would like to add one little note to what he said, namely that in facing challenges for science, developed countries would show some concern to developing countries as well, particularly in not allowing the present gap between them and the latter to widen with about half of their populations at present living below the poverty line, the bulk of whom concentrated in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Developing countries on their part should be largely concerned with increasing agricultural productivity for feeding their increasing starving populations, reducing their unemployment to sustainable levels and eliminating poverty.

Sri Lankan perspective
What is the perspective of Sri Lanka in regard to challenges for science in the next century? Sri Lanka, as you may know is a small island in developing South Asia. Though small, she is firmly committed to preserve democracy and the rule of law in a big way.

The challenges she has to face in the twenty first century are related to social and economic elements such as these:

1. Though predomi-nantly Sinhala (75%) and Buddhist (70%) dominated, she has several ethnic and religious minorities comprising the other 25 per cent to 30 per cent respectively, but is committed to build and sustain a nationally integrated Sri Lankan society.

2. She has an open economy, having liberalised its trade as far back as 1977 and is an important member of the regional trading block, SAARC pledged to accomplish complete free and open trade within the Region before 2005.

3. She has problems posed by the growing pressures on the environment mainly due to poverty and unemployment.

4. Although she has been successful in containing population growth, she is now facing an ageing population.

5. Inadequate and very often not-so-relevant agricultural and industrial research and the dearth of technical and managerial manpower due to the hitherto existing education system and the appealingly low R & D investment (>0.18% of GDP). The latter is aggravated by the brain drain. Even though Sri Lanka has a history of nearly half century of development assistance, her S & T outfits have gained very little from external sources and the much wanted private sector of a developing industrial thrust has not even entered the equation of S & T.

6. Problems posed by globalisation and regional trading blocks and fast advancing information technology.

7. A terrorist war which devours considerable resources which can be diverted to development.

Scientists
Science and scientists of Sri Lanka have to respond effectively to a scenario containing such elements if she is not to lag behind in the race, in the next century. The major challenges, in my view, as may be the case in many other developing countries, are to feed a population which will exceed 20 million by the turn of this century on the same land area of 65,000 square kilo meters, reduce severe unemployment and eliminate appalling poverty. These require larger investment, and even more importantly, enhanced productivity. Leaving aside deriving benefits from globalisation, for her very survival in it, self-sufficiency in food production and maintenance of international competi-tiveness in her agricultural and manufacturing exports are crucial. The production of a kilogram of beef requires many times (some put it as high as 20 times) as much as in resources of land, water etc. as for the production of a kilogram of grain. The environment pollution too is equally greater in the former. The use of agricultural practices possible in sparsely populated countries would be disastrous for Sri Lanka.

1. Here Sri Lanka scientists can make a positive contribution by showing not only how to get more from the limited land area with less water but also to produce more palatable non-farm-based foods.

Sri Lanka has many advantages that can form the basis of a new initiative which would help to enhance both agricultural and manufacturing produc-tivity, which are very low at present: (a) An S&T structure, though etiolate, is nevertheless already in existence and functioning. The three research institutes devoted to tea, rubber and coconut, the three major export crops of Sri Lanka, and the Rice Research Institute devoted to the major food crop, the CISIR, IFS, IPS and the 12 universities including the Open University and the several post-graduate institutes provide an adequate base for a small country if the present constraints alleviate the present plight in regard to S&T capability in the country. A new Science and Technology Act was passed a few months ago, by which a National Science and Technology Commi-ssion (NASTEC) has been set up under the highest authority. H.E. the President herself, with the Ministry of Science and Techno-logy to monitor its implementation as the lead Ministry. It is expected that this body will institute the mechanisms necessary to maximise the capacity of the existing research institutions and institutes, initiate action to obtain the services of expatriate nationals to work in the country whenever they can, in fields where the local expertise is lacking, and advise the Government on channelling of development assistance to beef-up S&T structure in the country. (c) Equally important is the ability with which Sri Lanka has been able to keep pace reasonably well with the developments in information technology (IT).

Specialisation
II. It is a second area in which Sri Lankan scientists can make a positive contribution. It has provided oppor-tunities for software development etc. But it requires the continued production of specia-lised manpower and their mobilisation through imaginative and innovative entrepreneurship and venture capital.

III. Thirdly, the meeting of challenges to the environment would be a fruitful field for Sri Lankan science. Although some solutions to environ-mental problems may have global applications and as such be developed elsewhere there will still remain the need for site-specific research and development. The area of bio-diversity and its applications being location-specific would also be an area where there would be much scope for Sri Lankan science.

IV. Fourthly, health improvement and nutrition are fields where Sri Lankan scientists have had much scope. The challenges in the fields of medicine and public health would require programmes targeted to minimise preventable diseases.

Last but not the least, I see, as an academic, a major challenge in the area of teaching learning of science. It is becoming increasing difficult for university teachers of science to keep pace with the developments in their disciplines. Expertise also keep on becoming narrower so that a single discipline has to be taught by several scientists. This is a challenge to university level science teaching. Science teaching at this level would also cease to be single educational institution based. It would become dispersed learning system with extra-university components. As the viability of Sri Lankan science would depend upon the continued production of expert manpower, this aspect would be a major challenge for science education in Sri Lanka. A precursor to science education in universities, it must be underscored here, is the expansion the equali-sation, of facilities for science education in schools in order to remove the hitherto existing glaring regional imbalances which has led to the introduction of the much resented district quota system in university admissions.

I may conclude this presentation with two general assertions which should guide the Sri Lankan scientists in the coming century. It is necessary to realistic that (1) they can no longer remain within their own disciplines but have to build up linkages with world of industry and business enterprise, and that (2) adaptation to new technologies and their mastering would continue to be a challenge especially because of the progressively shortening lead time between concept development and rapid obsolescence.

(I wish to gratefully acknowledge the valuable suggestions made by Dr. R. O. B. Wijesekera and Mr. Sterling Perera for this presentation)