LESSONS LEARNED
FROM THE
EXPERIENCE
IMPROVING THE RELEVANCE AND QUALITY OF
UNDERGRADUATE EDUCATION PROGRAMME
UNIVERSITY OF RUHUNA
2004 -2010
Institutional Block Grant activities at the
University of Ruhuna
IT for Final Year
Students
IT Skills
English Skills
IBG 2
English for Final
Year Students
IBG 1
Special Needs
Staff/ Students
Social Harmony
Student
Learning
Environment
Engineerig
IBG 3
Science
Management
Quality Enhancement Fund
Medicine
QEF
Economics
ARTS
IBG I Grants started in 2004
IBG 11 Grants started in 2005
IBG III Grants started in 2009
QEF Grants started in 2005
QEF Batch III Grants stated in 2008
INSTITUTIONAL BLOCK GRANTS (IBG) AND QUALITY
ENHANCEMENT FUNDS (QEF) RECEIVED BY THE
UNIVERSITY OF RUHUNA
 IBG – I GRANTS:
 QEF 1 GRANTS:
- Learning Environment
- Study Program in Social Science
(Economics)
(LKR 38.5 m)
Improvement in
- Competency in English
- Social Harmony
- Information Technology
 IBG –II
(LKR 10.1 m)
(LKR 10.0 m)
(LKR 8. 6 m)
(LKR 7.2 m)
GRANTS:
- Intense IT Course
(LKR 10.0 m)
- Intense English Course (LKR 10.0 m)
- Special Needs
(LKR 5.0)
- IBG –III
GRANTS:
- Faculty of Engineering
(LKR 23.05 m)
- Faculty of Science
(LKR 14.41 m)
- Faculty of Management (LKR 5.0 m)
- Study Program in Medicine
(LKR 92.0 m)
QEF III GRANTS:
Faculty of H&SS
(LKR 20.0 m)
TOTAL GRANTS
RECEIVED
LKR 253.86 Million
PROGRESS OF FUNDS UTILIZATION
at 30th June 2010
(LKR millions)
Grant Category
PIP Budget
Total
Expenditure
Underutilized
Amount
% of
Utilization
IBG – I & II
60,960,000.00
60,833,609.36
126,390.64
99.8%
IBG - III
43,962,000.00
43,070,915.84
891,084.16
91.1%
QEF – I
Economics
40,561,479.00
39,918,640.67
642,838.33
98.4%
QEF – I Medicine
92,716,993.00
92,210,259.00
506,734.00
99.4%
QEF – Batch III
Faculty of H&SS
20,000,000.00
18,796,499.51
1,203,500.49
94.0%
258,200,472.00
254,829,924.38
3,370,547.62
98.7%
Total
SUB ACTIVITIES
UNDER
DIFFERENT
GRANTS
IMPROVING THE LEARNING
ENVIRONMENT
(LKR 9.30 m)







Improving
Improving
Improving
Improving
Improving
Improving
Improving
the
the
the
the
the
the
the
Hostel Facilities
Canteen Facilities
Library Reference Services
Physical Education Facilities
Health Care Facilities
Career Guidance Services
Physical Environment
Improvement of English
Proficiency
(LKR 8.38 m)



Revise Curricula and Assessment Process of the English
Language Teaching Unit (ELTU) (LKR 0.95)
Improve Quality of English Teaching through Staff
Training (LKR 1.425)
Improve Teaching - Learning Environment to provide
wider opportunities for self learning activities
(LKR 7.125)
Improvement of Social Harmony
(LKR 8.6 m)

Establishment of a Conflict Study Centre (LKR 6.75 m)
- Introducing an Optional Foundation Course onSocial Harmony
- Introducing an Optional Foundation Course on
Social Harmony
- Establishment of a Twining Programs with the University of
Utrecht and The Netherlands Institute of International
Relations
- Guest Lecture Series on Social Harmony
- Research in Social Harmony
- Award Scheme for the Students to promote Social
Harmony Activities
Improvement of Social Harmony
cont….





Organizing Student / Staff Exchange Programmes,
Cultural and Sports Activities to Promote Social
Harmony
(LKR 1.9 Min)
Exchange Programs with the Universities of
Jaffna, Eastern and South Eastern
Developing Multi-cultural Programs with different
Communities
Conducting Inter - University Sports events
Promoting Tamil Language Proficiency among
Sinhalese students
(LKR 0.95 Min)
Improvement of
Information Technology
(LKR 7.2 Million)

Implementation of a Foundation IT Course for all
First Year Students in all Faculties (LKR 0.6 M)

Offering Career Specific IT courses for the
Undergraduates (LKR 0.55 M)

Enhancement of Students Involvement in IT
related Activities (LKR 2.1 M)

Academic Staff Training in IT
(LKR 0.65 M)
Improvement of
Information Technology
cont…

Developing IT Resource Centre in the
Main Library
(LKR 2.6 M)

Guest Lecture Series on Modern IT
Developments and their Applications
(LKR 0.6 M)

Organizing Inter - Faculty Competitions to
improve IT creativity
(LKR 0.1 M)
IBG II - Intense Skills Enhancement in
English for Final Year Students (Arts &
Management
(June 2005 - LKR 10.0 Million)
-
Recruitment and Training of Teaching Staff
(LKR 2.20 m)
-
Provision of Teaching Equipment to Improve the
Quality of Teaching
(LKR 5.03)
-
Expose Students to Different Working
Environments where Medium of Communication
is English
(LKR 0.12)
IBG II - Intense Skills Enhancement in
Information Technology for Final Year
Students
(June 2005 - LKR LKR 10.0 m)
-
Strengthening Institutional Capacity
- Conducting IT Enhancement Course
4.0 m)
(LKR 5.6 m)
(LKR
- Motivating Students Towards Self-Studies in IT
(LKR 0.75 m)
- Awareness Program of IT Applications Pertaining to
Current Job Market Opportunities
(LKR 0.26 m)
IBG-II





Special Needs
cont….
Provision of Spectacles (168 pairs) to students
and non-academic staff
Construction of Special Toilets for differently able
persons
Providing Three-Wheelers (4) to Medical
Centres at different faculties
Provided a Motor Cycle for the PHI at the
University
Provided musical instruments (Western) for the
University Cultural Centre
IBG-II
Special Needs
(LKR 5.0 m)
 Improving Facilities at the Medical Centre
(Diagnostic Equipment)
 Improving facilities at the Dental Clinic
 Conducting Health Camps in all Faculties
 Procurement of Learning Equipment (20 micro
cassette recorders)
 Basic Amenities for differently able persons
(wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, hearing
aids)
IBG III Grant
(Equipment Grant for the Faculties of engineering, science
and Management)
(LKR 42.5 m)
(Grant received in August 2009)





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Teaching Equipment
(Computers, Printers, Multimedia, Sound
systems, Projector screens etc.)
Laboratory Equipment
Network facilities
Furniture
Air conditioners
Books and software
QUALITY ENHANCEMENT FUND
(QEF) PROJECTS (ROUNDS 1 and III)
 Study
Program in Social Science
(Economics)
(LKR 38.49 m)

Study Program in Medicine (LKR 92.0 m)

Study Programme in Arts
(LKR 20.0 m)
Study Programme in
Social Sciences (LKR 38.5
m)





Enhancement of Generic Skills of
Undergraduates
Development of University-Industry
Linkages
Improvement in Teaching-Learning
Process
Promoting Social Harmony
Raising Additional Funds
Study Programme in
Medicine (LKR 92.0 m)






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Promote changes in the curriculum to produce socially
responsible and effective medical graduates
Exposure to and training in rural health
Improve social and intercultural interaction
Optimize learning and learning environment
Improve access to IT
Improve the work output of staff
Enhance student support services
Improve proficiency in English and other national
languages
Study Programme in
ARTS (LKR 20.0 )






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Overseas non degree training
Laboratory equipment
Teaching Equipment
Civil works
Furniture
Books
Programme development
(workshops)
(3.2m)
(5.3m)
(0.9m)
(3.8m)
(1.1m)
(1.8m)
(2.3 m)
LESSONS LEARNED




Major source of funding for the university
to improve the quality and relevance of
study programmes.
(5 years)
Implementation process is clear and
straight forward
Easy accessibility to PPDU officials for
consultation and clarification
Regular progress review and monitoring
ISSUES



Submission of a proposal was the only
requirement (condition) to obtain IBG
grants. In the absence of any competition,
the proposal writers did not pay adequate
attention to formulate a more relevant and
realistic proposals.
Some were more ambitious and unrealistic
and some were just investment plans
without adequate focus on outcomes.
Resulting under-expenditure or wasteful
expenditure
ISSUES
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Formulation of a proposal with overestimation of the support
and capacity of the staff, may not succeed.
The cooperation and support from over 75% of the staff is
necessary to implement a proposal successfully.
Alienation of the staff from the proposal can be harmful to the
project
This is particularly important in the case of UDG which will be
given to the entire university where the individual staff
members may be too distant to the group of proposal writers
and the persons responsible for implementation.
Developing positive attitudes towards the project at faculty and
department levels needs to be strengthened
ISSUES


Very often physical resources are ordered
through the project without paying due attention
to the availability of human resources.
Some of the sophisticated equipment remain
idling without supplementary HR inputs.
ISSUES
 Students participation in project formulation and
implementation was very limited in the IRQUE programme.
 Since the major beneficiaries are the students their active
participation is important.
 Student organisations and societies can be utilized for
implementation activities
ISSUES
Adequate care should be given in the
identification of effective activities to yield certain
outcomes. (i.e. soft skills and social harmony)
Superficial activities should be avoided. For
example to promote social harmony, playing a
cricket match or conducting a musical show can
have a very little impact on the expected
outcome. It will be a wasting of resources.
More meaningful activities such as learning
Tamil language or inviting Tamil students to live
with Sinhalese friends would be more
appropriate.
ISSUES




Some of the IBG programmes had been
restricted to Final Year students who had
completed their Exams.
The IT and English knowledge given to
them was not helpful for them to improve
their education at the university.
Therefore, such programmes should not be
restricted to Final Year students only.
Junior students could benefit more from
such training in IT and English
Performance indicators will improve
ISSUES




Too many sub-activities in a proposal can create
problems such as delays in implementation. When
one activity gets delayed it can affect all other
connected activities. (i.e. workshops)
Very often, time frames are set in the
implementation schedule, assuming that all steps
would run smoothly. This assumption is not true.
There can be delays in the procurement process.
When the required number of quotations are not
received, new round of quotations has to be started.
Therefore, provisions should be made in the time
schedules, in case of such delays which may be
frequent problems.
ISSUES
 Coordinators are over- burdened due to pressure
from the achievement of implementation targets and
preparation of various reports and documents which
have deadlines.
 Appointing a full time Programme Manger may solve
this problem.
 Frequent change of Coordinators also causes
difficulties in the implementation.
 The ‘New Coordinator’ may not be fully aware of the
proposal.
 Some PICs are inefficient. They do not perform their
tasks.
 Lack of enthusiasm among PICs in the latter part of
the project.
ISSUES


There is a possibility for cost escalation of certain
activities once the project proposal is approved. At
present, under IRQUE programme there is no
provision for cost escalation. Due to this problem
certain activities remain unimplemented . This
should be taken into account when the budget is
formulated.
The least cost criteria for the selection of equipment
is not always efficient. An item with same
specification may be supplied at a very low price.
But there is a significant variation in the quality.
At present there is no solution for this.
ISSUES
 Delays at the LTS: When a certain
procurement is failed due to a TEC decision
or lack of bidders, LTS should not wait till
another request comes from the Programme
Coordinator.
 Rather than waiting for the request to come
from the Coordinator, LTS can take the
required steps to procure the items
immediately after the first failure.
Implementation delays can be reduced
through such prompt actions.
ISSUES
 The absence of proper records for the equipment
purchased by certain academic units could cause
misuse of them.
 Equipment purchased are not properly
maintained.
 Allocation of a funds for the maintenance of
equipment is a major problem concerning
sustainability of project activities.