University dons meet tomorrow to plot their course

May 27, 2012, 11:25 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe, the island

University teachers would take several key decisions pertaining to the salary issue and the admission of their children to popular schools among other things at the executive committee meeting of the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) scheduled to be held tomorrow (29) at the Colombo University.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri told The Island that they would discuss the University Grants Commission Chairman’s decision to call for a report on an incident involving a lecturer of the Sri Jayewardenepura University at the Education Ministry recently.

There was a quota to admit children of university teachers to popular schools but education secretary scolded a FUTA delegation which had a meeting with him, Dr. Devasiri said.

Dr. Devasiri said some school principals too refused to admit university teachers’ children and they would discuss future course of action against it at tomorrow’s meeting.

The government was still turning a blind eye to their repeated appeals to increase the salaries of university teachers, the FUTA president said, adding that the higher education ministry had not given them an appointment for the past several weeks. He said the government had ignored the university teachers’ request for the allocation of at least 6% of the GDP to education.