FUNDAMENTAL PREREQUISITES TO CREATE A PSYCHOLOGICAL PARADIGM SHIFT IN STUDENTS’ DEGREE CHOICE

With globalization the need for experts in various fields were identified. In Sri Lanka students and parents preferred to become engineers, medical doctors, accountants, and lawyers after completion of their studies. However, demand for jobs other than above categories kept increasing and a mismatch between the supply of qualified people in relevant fields as against the demand from industry and government generated. Government universities offered degrees in limited fields and students were compelled to enroll in degrees against their choice. The education system produced more graduates from certain fields that are not in demand from the industry perspective. This situation leads to unemployment and underemployment which is a social problem today. Therefore, a psychological paradigm shift in students' degree choice is proposed in this paper as a long-term solution to this problem. This study administered a qualitative research approach consisting comprehensive desk research and opinion survey. The results reveals the seriousness of the problems in Sri Lanka, its root causes, potential solutions. The society in large has settled down with certain ideologies about the field of higher education that are not commensurate with the present global trends. This paper discusses about the fundamental prerequisites to create a psychological paradigm shift in students' degree choice.