Confronting challenges of recent changes in social science education in Sri Lankan university system

Abstract

This study analyses the challenges of recent changes in Sri Lankan higher education concerning social sciences and how those challenges can best be tackled. There is a strong sentiment that universities in Sri Lanka is in a state of constant crisis, as rising demand for higher education is not being met, despite its growing importance on the sustainable development agenda. This criticism focuses on higher education concerning social sciences and humanities, in terms of their relevance in the market economy. The mismatch between the needs of society and courses offered by universities has contributed to a high level of graduate unemployment. A mixed research method was employed in this research and the analyzed data were supported providing some secondary data. The paper discusses that challenges stemming from recent changes in higher education in social sciences are often related to transformed and reinterpreted expectations of university education and about approaches to university education. Maintaining and improving education quality, improving the relevance of curricula at a time of rapid changes in the market economy, accommodating societal needs, and going along with dynamic nature of global higher education are some of the challenges lead to an unstable situation in the social science education unless appropriately dealt with.