Newly formed outfit vows to defeat setting up of private universities

November 20, 2011, 9:44 pm, The Island.


by Dasun Edirisinghe

The newly formed National Movement for Protecting Free Education (NMPFE) consisting of university teachers, students, doctors and school teachers, yesterday said it would go all out to scuttle the government’s attempt to establish private universities.

Addressing the media after launching the NMPFE in Colombo, its convener Ven. Dambara Amila thera said that the draft bill would be presented in parliament next January posing a serious threat to the free education system introduced by the late C. W. W. Kannangara.

Holding aloft a copy of the draft bill, Ven. Amila said that the provisions of the bill, if implemented, would limit university education to producing graduates only fit for the job market. The government had, he said, chosen to ignore the basic principles underpinning university education.

Amila Thera said that the government had already granted degree awarding status to more than 10 private institutions including the Malabe Private Medical College and about ten more applications had been submitted to the University Grants Commission (UGC). He said the UNP governments of yore had tried to privatize the free education system through the now infamous White Paper racket in the early 80s but they had failed to do so owing to resistance put up by teachers, students and the discerning members of the public.

Amila Thera said his organisation was amenable to educational reforms but it would not allow free education to be privatised on the pretext of reforms.

Senior lecturer of the Open University of Sri Lanka Dr. Rohan Fernando, Senior lecturer of the Sri Jayewardenepura Management Faculty Dr. Devaka Punchihewa, National Organiser of the Socialist Students Union Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, Committee member of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union Lal Fernando and National committee member of the Doctors Against Private Medical Colleges Dr. Jayantha Bandara also attended at the media briefing.