More students than teachers in FUTA protest - SB

September 28, 2012, 11:05 pm , The Island


by Zacki Jabbar

While the Chief Prelates of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters have offered to mediate in the crisis affecting the education sector, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake yesterday claimed that there were more students in the protest march organised by the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) than teachers.

"We counted the number of teachers in the procession and it was around 150," the Minister said, adding that there were a large number of politicians and undergraduates.

The Minister said that the demonstrations could not be considered a success, since there were about 5,000 dons countrywide.

The entire protest was politically motivated, since senior university professors were among the highest paid public servants in the country and drew even more than the Chief Justice, he claimed.

Dissanayake said that the monthly package, including allowances of Grade One Dons, was around Rs.170,000 while an ordinary lecturer drew about Rs.75,000.

Asked if he was not interested in resolving the chaos in the education sector, the Minister replied that talks could commence once the protests ended.

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that FUTA’s demand for the education budget to be increased to six per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was unrealistic.

A figure of more than five percent of GDP was allocated by countries with a low qualitative growth in education, but Sri Lanka was way ahead and did not fall into that category, he said.

The Minister said that due to poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy and unemployment that had afflicted under developed countries in Africa, they were forced to spend more on education.