2010 september question 1

7/30/2019 2010 September Question 1

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2010 September Question 1

The IESL has been established over a century ago. The engineers produce in our

universities, at that time, UOP taught only engineering subjects in depth and the engineers

produced by the UOP in that era were professionals with outstanding menagerie qualities. Some

of them who held government key positions excelled in their positions and controlled well the

countrys economy. For an example, we could quote Dr.Kulasinghe, Mr. B.D.Rampala,

A.R.P.Wejesekara and L.R.M.Perera who played commendable role in the government

contributing greatly towards engineering and engineering management. Since then until today it

has so happened employers looks for engineers with menagerie qualifications and experience to

run their organizations. However, this is not the case of developed countries like Europe, far

East, China and Japan. In those countries, engineers process strong command in the affairs of

their countries. That tradition continues until today and those countries are in their heights of

economic development. We know the real fact that why such a state of affairs can not be

practiced in Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, looking back to our political structure, our politicians ad

been either lawyers, administrators or recently has opened to even criminals or drug pedals to

seek enter to the legislature. In this scenario, not only the engineers but also professionals of

other disciplines have been barred from parliament. At the same time, engineers are also not

ready to seek nominations to the parliament.

The necessity of engineers to study managerial, sociological, and other subjects not

pertained to engineering have become more and more sought after by employers. Compare to

engineering gradates passed out from universities in 1960s era, and now there is a difference.

The engineers passed out in the early 1960s were well worst skills of communication, leadership

skills, and public relationship skills and personnel trades. These skills were achieved by moving

with society and university sells at the opportunity engineers to move with students of other

disciplines and learn from each other. The present undergraduates dont have that kind of closed

communication with others. This is created gap of communication process and knowledge they

can learn by interesting students of other professional disciplines.

As we follow education system in UK, it has become a practice to change our syllabus

and training requirement parallel to that practice in UK. In early 80s, in UK was found that their

industries were fallen down due to unavailability of engineers to manage British enterprises. To

inquire into the failure of engineering professionals entering the hierarchy of management in


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British enterprises, Finston was appointed. His report that, engineers produced in UK universities

had lack of managerial skills required by employers to head their enterprises. Finstons report

clearly spelled that graduate engineers are required to be given education and training

communication skills, public relation skills, managerial and leadership skills. In the light of these

findings, British government revises the curriculum of engineering education and training

requirement to suit the requirements of employers in UK companies. They also formed in 1966;

they founded engineering council as the apex body of individual engineering institutions and

promulgated new regulations for sate of chartered engineers. In Sri Lanka, in the early 1980s, in

present to UK legislation, IESL also change its syllabus and entry requirement to grade of

chartered engineers. In those pre requests, it was necessary engineers who seat the chartered

engineers states were required to pass managerial subjects before they are selected as chartered

engineers.

The doctors who was passed out by medical faculties they do not specialist study

management in their medical curriculum. There purely educated in medical subjects and they by

experience get in to the medical administration and there is no issue of their service to the

society. One can question them, why engineers are required to study management subjects and

employers are seeking engineers with managerial qualifications to run their enterprises. The

founder of the subjects of management is Henry Fayol. As of today, management science

founders are behind the seen, and accountants, other professionals studying management to

achieve hierarchy in government and private enterprises.

By introducing more and more managerial curriculum to engineering syllabus,

opportunity of engineering students to study that subject in depth is at state. Increasing the

management subjects engineering curriculum, the passed out graduates could neither be good

engineers nor good managers. What is most important to enhance communication and language

skills of engineers with an orientation in management and sociology? Our Sri Lankan education

system need basic changes to improve communication and language skills in the secondary level

education and once such students enters university is equipped with soft skills. The hard skills

learnt by engineers are very useful in society to bring about advancement of engineering science,

development of technology, alternatives and contribute large scale to sustainable development

with available resources.


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The matter that Sri Lankan employers seek engineers well knowledge in management

appears is to be a unexplained menia. Because most of the employers are of uneducated class and

always look for loop wholes and always treat people who can make money by actual records and

hide actual income to avoid taxes and other Levis. It is accountants and other administrators are

the ones who could do that and as a result such employer always seeks accounting professionals

than engineering to chair their organization. There is a responsibility of IESL to educate our

business community in the important of engineering profession and what engineer could provide

their enterprises to run them with efficiently maximize their profits.

2010 september question 1

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