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Q: How are the IT and communications sectors
faring at present?
A: The
industry is doing pretty well. Overall, we have seen significant growth –
especially in IT. So at the moment, we are very happy.
Q: While all may seem well, do you agree that
the sector has not reached its full potential and that there is scope to
achieve more?
 A:
I agree – and then disagree… we have achieved our objectives in certain
areas. Where we have failed to make any real progress – and where others
like India have done – is in Business Process Outsourcing (BPO). India is
earning billions of US Dollars in BPO through the call-centre business. We
have only slowly begun getting there, with a few players coming in. The
reason we lag behind is that we don’t have sufficient numbers of people
who speak good English; it has nothing to do with the lack of IT skills.
However, with English now being taken
more seriously, the situation may improve. In contrast, the hardware
industry in Sri Lanka is up to date with the rest of the world. We even
have the latest software, but its potential hasn’t been explored to the
fullest yet.
Q: Apart from the lack of English-language
skills, are there any other concerns?
A:
Sometime ago, the problem was our communications infrastructure. But that
has now been sorted out. Even the number of students graduating with IT
degrees has increased. Most schools are equipped with IT labs, which are
now being made good use of. Although there are some problems in rural
areas due to the lack of trained teachers, these are being addressed.
These issues take long to fix, and it is important that we get started.
The problem in Sri Lanka is with policy. Policies shouldn’t change with
governments; they must remain constant over the years.
Q: What about the software aspect? What focus
and growth have we achieved?
A: The
quality of our programmers is very good. But no big projects come over
here because of the numbers. Whereas Sri Lanka produces 2,500 IT graduates
in a year, India produces 450,000. Any big company will go to a country
where there is a vast pool of resource people. Sometimes, overflows might
make it here… but we cannot capture the market in a big way.
Q: What about the IT training centres that are
mushrooming around the island? Has any action been taken to control them?
A: I
think they are good for the country. You might call it mushrooming, but
the fact is that these facilities are now available closer to your home.
That way, people become familiar with the services offered. But we must be
careful and ensure that these operators don’t take people for a ride. Some
institutions are offering diploma programmes and charging a lot of money
for them. Thankfully, the Tertiary And Vocational Council has put forward
certain guidelines that prevent them from doing so, unless they meet the
required standards.
I think the mushrooming of IT
organisations is good, as it will help people overcome any fears. If these
institutes were present only in cities, then the digital divide would
become wider. We might be able to narrow it this way.
Q: In the medium term, what is the future of the
industry?
A: It
should perform pretty well. Right now, there is an ambitious programme to
promote ‘e-governance’ – and if that goes through, it will make IT
available to all segments of the population. Also, with more students
using computers at school, IT literacy among future generations should
improve. So I feel confident that the industry will achieve significant
growth in time.
Q: Are the present levels of investment in the
industry sufficient to attain its targets?
A: There
is sufficient investment – but if we are to attract more BPO business, we
need to invest more in buildings. In India, there are tailor-made
buildings for BPOs – whereas in Sri Lanka, there is only one.
Q: There is something of a stigma associated
with call-centre operations in Sri Lanka. How can we overcome this in an
effort to move forward?
A: There
should not be any stigma. It’s a pretty good job – to be employed in a BPO.
The role of BPOs is also changing. Initially, it started with call
centres, but now it has evolved into the processing of information. It
even entails back-office finance. Most US-based legal-services firms have
outsourced their operations in India.
Also, it’s very difficult to generate
thousands of jobs in the hardware and software industries. They are
specialised crafts. But a BPO can employ 2,000 to 3,000 people. If we can
get 10 such operations to invest here, that’s 20,000 jobs.
The
interviewee is the Director/CEO of Metropolitan Computers. |
