UNITEICTPROFESSIONALSASSOCIATION

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info@unite.lk

AfourmemberIndiandelegationvisitedSriLankaaroundtwoweeksagoandthesocalled
PreliminaryOfficialtalksonEconomicandTradeCooperationAgreement(ETCA)betweenthe
twogovernmentswereheld.AmidsttheclaimsbySriLankangovernmentthattheyaregetting
theindustryandprofessionalsintotheofficialdiscussionsortoadvisorypanels,bythelooksof
ittheyarestepsaheadindiscussingwiththeIndianofficialsthangettingtheHouseinorder,
whichtheProfessionalbodiesunanimouslyurgingthegovernmentfromtheverybeginning.

Tobefair,ithastobementionedthattheSriLankanGovernmentofficialsdidengageinsome
discussionswiththeProfessionalrepresentatives,butthegenuineneedofimplementingthe
timeconsumingstepstogettheHouseinorderseemstobemovinglowerintheprioritylists.
InthisoutsetlastFriday19thAugusttwoSriLankanleadingBusinessNewspapersDailyFT
andDailyMirrorBusinesstabloidpublishedanarticlewhichwaspublishedinthenewIndian
Expresson9thAugust2016.ThearticlewaswrittenbyP.K.Balachandran,TitlingIndiaandSri
Lankabegintalksoneconomicandtechnicalcooperationagreement.Thisitselfisan
interestingmattertoponderwhetherthesearticlesarebeingpublishedwithinfluencesbysome
party.Butmoreimportantmatteristhecontentofthearticle.

EventhoughthestatedobjectiveofETCAisnottoopenupSriLankatoIndianservices
personnel,thereisawidespreadanddeeprootedfearamongprofessionalsinSriLanka,that
IndiawilleventuallyfindwaysofexportingtheirservicespersonneltoSriLankaandtakeover
localjobsbyofferingtheirservicesasalessercost.ButtheSriLankangovernmenthas
assuredtheprofessionalbodiesintheislandthatgovernmentwouldensurethatthefloodgates
arenotopenedtoIndianprofessionals.

IndiaitselfisplanningtosendprofessionalsonlyintotheITsectorandShipbuilding,

where
thereisaneedforexpertiseandhigherlevelsoftraining

.Thesearealsosectorsthatcould
boostSriLankasexports.

SriLankanITbodiesclaimthattheycandowithoutIndianexpertise,buttheVicePresidentof
GoogleinchargeofIndiaandSoutheastAsia,RajanAnandan,toldaconferencehererecently,
thatSriLankaneedsnotonlymoreITprofessionalsbutalsothoseofasignificantlyhigher
gradeifitistobeasignificantexporterofITproducts.HepointedoutthatwhileSriLankahas
only80,000ITprofessionals,justonecompanyinIndia,TataConsultancyServices(TCS),has
300,000!Asregardsquality,the4000to5,000highlyqualifiedprofessionalsSriLankahas,are
notenough,Anandansaid.TheworldclassMoratuwaUniversityshouldnotrestrictitsannual
intaketojust100.Headded.

Firstly,theSriLankangovernmentcannotentertothisagreementomittingtheMode4Service
tradeform,definedinGATS.Eventhoughtheyrepeatedlyharpinlocalforumsthattherewont
beanyMode4,itwillbepartofETCA.Thiswillenablecitizensofotherparty(inthiscase
India)tocomeandworkinSriLankawithoutmuchfiltrationaswehavenotimplementedany
professionalstandards,legalframeworksnoremploymentlevelprocesses.Wehaveto
remembereventhoughothercountriesintheworldhavesimilarFTAstheyhaveimplemented

UNITEICTPROFESSIONALSASSOCIATION
#24/322,ThalahenaRoad,Udumulla,Mulleriyawa
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variousmechanismstoregulateandmanagethesekindofinfluxpriortoenterintothe
agreement,sothatthebestinterestsofthecountryanditscitizensaresafeguarded.Thisis,
gettingtheHouseinOrderwhichthegovernmentistryingtosweepundertherugs.

SecondlyeventhoughtheSriLankangovernmentofficialsandvariouspeoplehadbeenstating
thatthereisaneedinITandshipbuildingindustrieswithwhatfactsdotheymakethese
statements?Havingaskillgapproblemandfixingitisacommonthingineconomiesaroundthe
world.Therearebasicstepsplanningsolutionsforthiskindofproblems:
1.
Conductascientificstudytoidentifytheproblem
2.
AnalyzethefindingsandarriveatConclusions
3.
Proposeasolutiondefininghowtheproblemwillbesolvedwithit
4.
Analyzethesolutioncostsandthevalueoftheoutcometodeterminethefeasibilityof
thesolution.

Inourcontexteventhoughthegovernmentisrepeatedlystatingthatthereareskillgaps,have
theyconductedaproperstudyonthis?ThequestionallthepatrioticProfessionalshaveis
whetherthesestepsbygovernmentisbeingprocessedinthecorrectway.Ifthegovernment
officialscananswerandgivefactstothefollowingquestionstheprofessionalswilldefinitely
supportthecause:
1.
HadtherebeenaproperstudyontheskillgapsinITSector?
2.
Whatwasthemethodologyusedforsuchstudy?
3.
Whatwerethefindings?
4.
Howwasitconcludedthatthereisaskillgapbasedonthosefindings?
5.
HowETCAisgoingtogivethesolutiontotheidentifiedproblems?
6.
Hadthetargetsandoutputsbeenroadmappedandplannedintheidentifiedsolution?

AsMr.P.K.BalachandranhadquotedMr.RajanAnandan,VPofGoogleIndiaandSoutheast
AsiaonnumbersofITProfessionalsinSriLankaandIndia,withthepopulationdifferencewe
willnotbeabletohaveaSriLankancompanyinSriLankawith300,000SriLankanemployees.
ButwhatweneedisStandardsandregulationsinSriLankatomakesureonlythenecessary
peoplewiththerightskillwillbecomingtoSriLankatobridgetheskillgap,ifwehaveone.

SriLankanITwasalatebloomer.ITwasintroducedtoUniversitiesinthenewmillennia,itwas
introducedtotheschoolsonlyacoupleofyearsago.YetSriLankanstudentsarealready
outshiningIndianstudentsinInternational,GlobalITcompetitionsandevents.Accordingto
WorldEconomicForumReports,SriLankaismovingaheadinNetworkedReadinesscompared
toIndiasince2013andthegapisgettingwindedeveryyear.

UNITEICTPROFESSIONALSASSOCIATION
#24/322,ThalahenaRoad,Udumulla,Mulleriyawa
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info@unite.lk

NetworkedReadinessIndexanalysisWorldEconomicForumReport13,14,15

GovernmenthastorethinkwhethertheyhaveunderstoodthepotentialofSriLankanIT
Industry.NotonlywhatitcandototheeconomyinFDI,buthowcanthisindustryandrelated
educationcanbeusedtocreateasmarternation.ITisanewindustrysectorinSriLanka.
WithincoupleofyearsithadalreadyreachedthetopranksofSriLankaneconomy.
GovernmentofSriLankahadtheleasttodowithit,asitwastheSriLankanentrepreneurswho
tooktherisksanddidtheinvestmentstoupliftthesestandards.Thisisthefirsttimethe
governmentisgoingtopourhandstothisindustryinlargescale.Thisbetterbedoneright,as
thismaymarkthedifferenceinaprosperousSriLankanfuturewithTechnologyortotal
dependenceonIndia.

Unite,AsaprofessionalbodywhichrepresentsICTprofessionalstogetherwithotherICT
associationsandUPMisformedaexpertstudygroupwhichaimingtoreviewcurrentstatusand
problemsofSriLankanICTsectorandproviderecommendationsforrequiredmodifications.

WeurgegovernmenttothoroughlyrevisittheirapproachonICTsectorinordertoreach
expecteddevelopmentgoals.AsICTrelatedprofessionalbody,Unitewillsupportand
contributeforasuchhonesteffort.

http://www.dailymirror.lk/114361/IndiaandSriLankabegintalksonETCA

UNITEICTPROFESSIONALSASSOCIATION
#24/322,ThalahenaRoad,Udumulla,Mulleriyawa
http://www.unite.lk
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http://www.ft.lk/article/562507/IndiaandSriLankabegintalksoneconomicandtechnicalcooperationagre
ement

http://www.newindianexpress.com/world/IndiaandSriLankabegintalksoneconomicandtechnicalcooper
ationagreement/2016/08/09/article3571595.ece