Scholarships: India told to come through Treasury

Sunday Times
Sri Lanka has told India that all foreign scholarships given to public servants should be channelled through the External Resources Department of the Treasury and not be given directly to recipients, a top official said yesterday.
The Treasury’s External Resources Director General Mapa Pathirana told the Sunday Times that the position was conveyed to India after a discussion with officials of the External Affairs Ministry.
“We have had some inquiries about offers of scholarships directly,” he said without elaborating from where the inquiries were made. Mr. Pathirana said that after the inquires, they had briefed the Indian High Commission about the procedure.
He said the Indian High Commission officials were told that if necessary a copy could be sent to the relevant agency, but the original of the invitation should come to the External Resources Department.
“We have a procedure which will be followed. We will contact the relevant ministry, channel the invitation and make recommendations,” he said.The government also has put on hold a US$ 2 million (Rs. 227 million) offer by India to modify the Agriculture faculty of the Jaffna University and provide more training facilities to it.
Jaffna University Vice Chancellor V. Arasaratnam said the Treasury had instructed them not to accept the offer or to have direct dealings with any diplomatic mission. However, the VC said it was on the instructions from the University Grants Commission that the university had initiated action to obtain the assistance.
Meanwhile Indian External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna during his recent visit announced the increase of educational assistance to Sri Lanka.
“I am happy to announce a substantial increase in India’s educational assistance, amounting to 2.5 billion Sri Lankan rupees in grant-funding, to assist meritorious Sri Lankan students,” he said speaking at an event in Galle.“Under this programme, scholarships and self-financing slots for masters and doctorate-level courses will be increased to nearly 270 per year.
This marks a three-fold increase, and includes 120 slots for undergraduate courses, 25 seats for IT engineering, 50 slots for Masters-level courses, and 40 slots for a highly-subsidized self-financing scheme. In addition, support for deserving students pursuing their GCE ‘A’ level and university degrees in Sri Lankan institutions has been expanded to cover about 500 students every year,” he said.

ur Self-Destructive Indifference

False paths, credulously followed… – Gunter Grass (Eulogy on Christa Wolf)
By Tisaranee Gunasekara, Sunday Leader

Picture courtesy: www.english.readsrilanka.com and Picture courtesy: www.visualphotos.com

Good warriors often make bad leaders. Those who are good at winning wars are not necessarily good at governance — “with their serial signature fiascos…”
The AL results imbroglio is, and seems destined to remain, unresolved. That fiasco has two components – faulty district rankings and an erroneous Z-score. The investigative Committee appointed by the President was mandated to study only the minor issue – district rankings. The major issue of a faulty Z-score (an allegation backed by several experts) remains un-investigated. This is an indefensible failure since Z-score is the password of entry to a Lankan university — the desired goal of most AL students.
The Committee did not look into allegations of an erroneous Z-score because the Committee was not mandated to do so, according to its head, Dhara Wijethilake. Any investigation into the AL results imbroglio cannot be complete unless it covers the Z-score issue. By limiting the Committee’s mandate to the issue of district rankings, the President effectively prevented a full and credible investigation of the fiasco. Was it an oversight? Was he wrongly advised (one cannot reasonably expect the Rajapaksas to know or care much about Advanced Levels)? Or was it intentional, a deliberate attempt to sneak past the problem without resolving it, a classic Rajapaksa tactic? Was this Committee intended for elusion rather than resolution, as was IIGEP, the APRC, the LLRC or the Committee into the 2010 killing of FTZ worker Roshain Chanaka?
The AL results fiasco is symbolic of Rajapaksa governance and the illimitable damage it can do to all Lankans. Those students wronged by an erroneous Z-score would belong to families from all ethno-religious communities, all classes and all political persuasions. Children of parents who vote for the Rajapaksas would be victimised as much as children from anti-Rajapaksa or apolitical families. Actual and nascent tyrants kill and persecute their opponents; but they also cause irreparable harm to the living conditions and future prospects of their supporters (and those who are indifferent to them). Just as adulterated petrol damaged the cars of Rajapaksa supporters and opponents alike, the administrative, economic and political imbroglios to come will harm Lankans across all spectra, including the pro/anti-Rajapaksa one.
Rajapaksa governance is degenerative. Its monomaniac focus on the Dynastic Project makes it favour Rajapaksa kith and kin and place a far greater premium on servility than on qualification or ability. If this process continues, the Rajapaksas will, advertently or inadvertently, cause the debilitation of every major Lankan institution, including the military and the Sangha Sasana. The obvious harm that is being done to the education sector is an early indication of the havoc Rajapaksa governance will wreak, in the years to come.
Democracy is not just about elections. Giving rulers carte blanche in between elections is not democratic. Citizens have a right, duty and responsibility to remain vigilant, to weigh, assess and analyse the actions of their leaders and protest non-violently whenever necessary. Politics is inescapably relevant to the everyday life of even the most apolitical citizen; politics will not leave us alone, however much we may want to divorce ourselves from it. Therefore professional politicians who are in politics for power, money and prestige cannot be allowed to monopolise politics and exclude citizens from having any say in how their country is run, in between elections.
The issue before us is not regime change. It is about adulterated fuel which damages our vehicles, corrupt deals which increase our indebtedness and education mishaps and health failures which endanger the future of younger generations – issues which should concern Rajapaksa opponents and supporters alike, as well as the politically indifferent. It is about myopic, inept, unintelligent governance, which damages the country and all those who live in it – including the most diehard Rajapaksa supporters. It is about preventing Sri Lanka from becoming a dysfunctional country which is incapable of performing such basic everyday tasks as ordering a consignment of fuel or conducting an examination, without mishap. It is about preventing inefficiency and corruption from becoming administrative and societal norms. It is about safeguarding the credibility of key institutions. It is about surviving as a reasonably efficient, just and lawful – and thus a liveable – state.
Learning from the Rulers
Queen Victoria’s German husband brought the Christmas tree into England; that custom then spread into British colonies and beyond. Most puritanical cultural norms revered by many a Sinhala Buddhist as our very own came to us from our Victorian colonial rulers. Leaders set trends, both good and bad. This is especially so in actual or nascent tyrannies where Rulers maintain a constant presence in the lives of the ruled, in the guise of wise guides and indispensable arbiters.
The Rajapaksas are intolerant of what should be tolerated and tolerant of what should not be tolerated. They are intolerant of Democratic freedoms and human rights, peaceful protests and minority aspirations, power-sharing and international humanitarian norms. They are tolerant, often boundlessly, of corruption and waste, inefficiency and favouritism, cupidity, sloth and violence, so long as the perpetrators are their own. Additional Magistrate Prasanna Alwis has decreed that parliamentarian (and monitoring MP of the Defence Ministry) Duminda Silva must remain on the list of suspects in the Kolonnawa multiple-killings. Will the AG’s Department instruct the Police to follow up on the Court Order, at least now? Will the President order his party man to come back? Will Interpol be informed about Mr. Silva? Or will he evade justice, because he is still in possession of his VVIP patrons? What will such a blatant manifestation of impunity teach us – and future generations – about justice, law and morality?
When a video depicting four US marines urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters surfaced on the YouTube, the Obama administration did not dismiss it as enemy propaganda nor reject it as an impossibility. Instead a high level investigation was conducted and the culprits identified, within days. The administration then condemned that atrocity in no uncertain terms, neither trying to excuse it not dismissing it as a miscellany. The US Marine Corps are to launch their own ‘holistic’ investigation which will seek to unearth the factors which enabled this abhorrent deed by posing the question, “What happened in the Marine Corps that this happened” (ABC News – 13.1.2012). This mature US response is in stark contrast to the manner in which the Rajapaksas have responded to every allegation of error and misdeed, from the AL fiasco to the Channel 4 videos.
By facing the scandal head-on, the Obama Administration took the first indispensable step towards getting over and beyond it. By resorting to evasions, excuses, justifications and denials whenever allegations of mistakes and misdeeds crop-up, the Rajapaksas ensure that we can never put those issues behind us. The allegations of human rights violations will continue to haunt Sri Lanka until they are credibly investigated. If allegations of an erroneous Z-score are ignored, AL results will join other indisputable truths desecrated by the Rajapaksas, such as Central Bank statistics. This is not a safe path for Lankans to traverse ­— in trust or in indifference.

Ananda Coomaraswamy

one of the great seminal minds of this country

January 21, 2012, 4:01 pm


by P. Weerasekera
Rajagiriya, Sunday Island

Please provide me a little space in your esteemed publication to indicate a ‘via media’ to resolve the ‘issue’ caused by re-naming of Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha as Nelum Pokuna Mawatha which has led to much pain of mind among discerned citizens. Despite much criticism expressed in the print media, it is difficult to believe that the bureaucrats who recommended this change or the decision-makers who approved the same would agree to any change of what has been done. It may be appropriate to recall that over fifty years back when the railway station ‘Ratmalana’ was re-named as ‘Kotalawalapura’ in honour of Sir John Kotalawala, a public outcry by agitated Ratmalana residents made the railway authorities in a matter of weeks to restore the earlier name which since then continues to this day.

Green Path was named Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha some years back to honour this great son of Lanka internationally famed as a scholar-colossus. Since many Sri Lankans of the present generation may not have heard much about him or his work, a few lines are devoted here to give some idea of his scholarly attainments.

Ananda Coomaraswamy was born in Colombo on 12th August 1877 to one of the most distinguished Hindu families in the country as the son of Sir Mutu Coomaraswamy (the first non-Christian from Asia to be admitted to the English Bar) and as a cousin of Sir Ponnambalam Ramanathan and Sir Ponnambalam Arunachalam. He had his entire education in UK and completed his formal education at the University of London obtaining a doctorate in science and pursuing a study of linguistics. On his return to Ceylon he was appointed as the Director of Mineralogical Survey in 1906 when he was a mere twenty-nine years.

As Director of Mineralogical Survey until 1909 his travels in the country which apart from leading to the identification of new minerals indigenous to Sri Lanka such as Thorianite, had kindled an interest in him to collect samples of Sri Lankan Art and studying its history. This culminated in the writing of his first monumental work "Mediaeval Sinhalese Art" in 1908.

He was much concerned about the corrupting influence of Western colonialism on the traditional arts and crafts which were products of the rich indigenous culture of the land, and initiated steps to counteract this degradation through the Social Reform Society of which he was the Founder President. His essay "An open letter to Kandyan Chiefs" was a kind of ‘wake-up’ call to the Kandyans in authority to draw their attention to arrest this trend.

He had written with profound scholarship on a wide variety of subjects which included geology and mineralogy, philology, literature, painting and music of several cultures. He even dealt with metaphysical questions which have engaged the attention of philosophers and statesmen from earliest to contemporary times. Many of his essays have been published in collections in the Western World in English, French, Spanish and several other European languages. A bibliography of his writings published in 1978 has listed over 650 research studies and papers exclusive of reviews he had done.

Christmas Humphreys (British Q.C. and later Judge) well known to Sri Lankan Buddhists as the author of the Penguin paperback titled "Buddhism" (published in 1951 which sold over a million copies) has rated Coomaraswamy’s work ‘Buddha and the gospel of Buddhism’(1916) as "the finest single volume on Buddhism yet published". (Having purchased a copy when he was 17 yrs, Humphreys has cited this work as the reason which led him to embrace Buddhism). Coomaraswamy also functioned as one of the Editors of WebsterNew International Dictionary and for thirty years served as Research Fellow at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston USA until his retirement (1947). He passed away shortly afterwards on 09th September 1947 less than three weeks after retirement.

Thirty years after his death when Coomaraswamy’s birth centenary was celebrated by scholarly symposia in 1977 and publication of books in USA, UK, India and Malaysia, a two-volume work of his writings titled "Selected Papers" edited by R. Lipsey published by the Princeton University Press when reviewed in the Times of London, he had been referred to as "one of the great seminal minds of this century". While the scholarly world was paying such high tribute all what Sri Lanka- the land of his birth had done to honour this savant was to re-name Green Path as Ananda Coomaraswamy Mawatha. Even that token tribute has now been sadly removed by re-naming the road for the framework of a pond which provides a stylized perimeter ring for the recently opened magnificent theatre complex. The incomprehensible action to dump the name of such a pioneering philosopher/scholar who had no equal in the country during his time and was revered internationally in the world of scholarship and brought much honour to the land of his birth, has also provided an ideal opportunity to unpatriotic elements to even attempt an ethnic twist to this unfortunate episode.

Although three-fourths of Sri Lankans follow the teachings of Buddha who has preached ‘puja cha pujaniyaanan (honour those worthy of honour ) it is a pity if the name of Ananda Coomaraswamy – the first Sri Lankan to bring international fame to our country is to be forgotten thus from national recognition. The following appeal is therefore made for the kind attention of all who possess the authority to take remedial action.

The land area encircled by the newly named Nelum Pokuna Mawatha, Marcus Fernando Mawatha and CWW Kannangara Mawatha has developed to be the cultural triangle of our capital city. The National Museum which houses the precious specimens of our proud cultural heritage, The National Museum of Natural History, Art Gallery, John de Silva Memorial Theatre, Royal Asiatic Society, Mahaweli Centre and the newly opened National Theatre for Performing Arts are all accommodated here.

Therefore may I urge that this quadrangle be named as Ananda Coomaraswamy Square as a first step to perpetuate his name for posterity. There cannot be a more suitable spot than this quadrangle in the entire country for this purpose. The erection of a suitable permanent memorial could be planned thereafter.

An ideal day to take the first step and name the Square is fast dawning on us in two weeks time on 04th February - the country’s National Day.

The Celebrated Scientist of Asia

Warm Welcome to the Hon. Dr AJP Abdul Kalam –

January 21, 2012, 3:55 pm , Sunday Island


A.H.M. Azwer, MP

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, or the Hon. Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, aerospace engineer, who was the first Chancellor of the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology Thiruvananthapuram (IIST), and later served as the 11th President of the Republic of India from 2002 to 2007, visits Sri Lanka on the 20th instant. He is scheduled to address a distinguished gathering at the BMICH.

Born in the town of Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu, he attended Qur’an Madrasa and the masjid under the strict supervision of his father. His father maintained a close rapport with the Indian Tamils and Hindus who used to worship at their temples in the vicinity. His father used to construct fishing boats, while his son Abdul Kalam used to on the beach and gaze at the Indian Ocean and ruminating on India’s future.

In his formative days, Abdul Kalam, who hailed from a poor family, used to sell newspapers at the railway station. The cyclone which once hit the 2-km Pamban Bridge which connects Rameswaram on Pamban Island to mainland India put paid to his "job." However, he possessed grit and determination and embarked on higher studies at the Madras College of Technology and emerged with flying colours. He received double promotions in his grades. Funds were short, and his sister was compelled to part with her jewellery to ensure young Abdul Kalam continued his education.

This scientist was known as the "Missile Man of India." His efforts at shaping the guided Missile Development Program in the development of five missiles - Prithvi, Trishul, Akash, Nag and the most awaited Agni, were profound. Dr Abdul Kalam with YS Rajan authored a book titled India 2020 – A Vision for the New Millenium (1998) followed by his autobiography assisted by Arun Tiwari, Wings of Fire (1999). In India 2020, it is stated that, ‘After a talk on the role of technology could play in shaping a modern India, a ten-year-old girl came up to Dr Kalam for his autograph. "What is your ambition?" Dr Kalam asked her. The response was prompt. "I would like to live in a developed India." That aspiration, simply expressed, has been the hope of millions of Indians since independence. At the edge of the new millennium, Dr Kalam and YS Rajan show us how to accomplish that goal.’ Dr Abdul Kalam states that, "A developed India by 2020, or even earlier, is not a dream. It need not even be a mere vision in the minds of many Indians. It is a mission we can all take up – and succeed."

As a professor, he occupied a small room at the Annamalai University in Madras. I once took my grand-daughter, Fathima Sarah, who offered Dr Abdul Kalam a pack of Ceylon Tea. He initially addressed the child and interacted with her, posing a few questions. He predicted that she will excel in maths and numbers.

I have the privilege of being the first foreigner to meet and felicitate Dr Abdul Kalam after his Presidency was announced on 25 July, 2002. This was made possible by Asokan Manavaithamby, a great friend of Sri Lanka. At this meeting, Dr Abdul Kalam told me he had an uncle - his mother’s brother - Ibrahim Marikar, living in Anuradhapura in Sri Lanka, and would like to visit Sri Lanka and meet with him one day. I traced his uncle who had shifted residence to Chilaw. He passed away some five years ago, and sadly missed out on his illustrious nephew meeting with him in our country.

Dr Abdul Kalam developed a new science, speaking with children, surveying their intellect and forming an idea of each one’s brilliance. He is the ace scientist of Asia.

Z-Score Inventor Says S.B. Distorting Facts

By Indika Sri Aravinda, SundayLeader
The inventor of the Z-score Professor R.O. Thattil says Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake had distorted facts about him to Parliament last week.
Professor Thattil, who had also received death threats last week, said in a letter to UNP MP Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, that he is not motivated by politics nor is he operating against the government.
Dr. Jayawardena had asked Professor Thattil to clarify some allegations made by the Minister in Parliament.
Dissanayake told Parliament last week that the Z-score was a geometric formula and not one that was invented by Thattil.
He also claimed that the Professor had once contradicted the Z-score method.
“This is a complete distortion of facts.  What really happened was that I submitted a document in a court case with respect to rounding off errors.
In that document I stated that the Z scores received for each subject, should not be rounded off at the second decimal place before averaging the Z scores of the different subjects of a given student.  The rounding off error can go up to 0.005 (i.e. a change in the 3rd decimal place) in the final Z score.  This value is decisive at the cut off where entry to different streams are made.  For example a Z score 1.251 will be rounded to 1.25 while a score of 1.255 in rounded to 1.26.  Why round off intermediate values, when the computer can keep a large number of decimal places. How can I go against the Z score scaling technique which I advocated more than a decade ago?  I am sure the committee appointed by the President must have seen this document but never mentioned it in their report,” Professor Thattil said in his letter to Dr. Jayawardena.
He also rejected allegations of him being involved in malpractices.

A-Level fiasco and private universities Bill

Pressure mounts on the government

January 21, 2012, 3:51 pm , Sunday Island


Kumar David

It is no coincidence that in the face of the storm created by the A-Level results fiasco the government hastily withdrew the Bill to permit private universities. Indeed the regime has been frying on several fronts and is beating a hasty retreat on most. The most serious of the current crises is the A-Level fiasco and public anger will not subside despite the analgesic of a Presidential Committee that fudged the conundrum. Anti-government sections will exploit it and President Rajapaksa, Higher Education Minister SB and Education Minister Bandula are in for a torrid time when university admission lists are finalised. The New-JVP is sure to lead a campaign that will attract public support.

Though no supporter of the UPFA or the Rajapaksa brothers, I had thought that thanks to war victory and the sweep of chauvinism through the Sinhalese community, this government would be stable for most of its full term of office following the 2010 election cycle. I am not so sure anymore; already 2012 is emerging as a year of uncertainty on this and many more issues.



The A-Level fiasco

The best available information is that the cock-up in the A-Level results happened for a simple reason; candidates who sat the examination under the Old Syllabus (OS) and under the New Syllabus (NS) were treated as a single ‘population’ (a statistical term) in the calculation of z-scores. Bear with me and let me explain what z-scores are; it is useful for everybody to get a handle since it has become a hot topic.

Obviously, scoring patterns (raw marks) in say mathematics (several candidates may score 100%) and in say literature are quite different. So how do we compare subjects with wide divergences in raw marks? The method is to bring the means (subject averages) of all subjects to a common point; statistically, that’s easy enough. Then comparison is possible by examining how far above or below the mean a candidate’s attainment is in any subject.

But there is a second problem; the natural spread of raw marks is different in different subjects. In some subjects the raw marks may naturally spread all the way from say 100 to nearly zero, while in others marks may be bunched around the average. How to compare subjects with divergent spreads? This is done by scaling in such a way that, after processing, the marks in all subjects have the same pattern of spread, that is, distributions are made similar. Statistically speaking, all marks have been processed so as to have the same variance (or standard deviation).

A candidate’s z-score is his/her mark, in each subject, after both mean and variance in each subject, has been aligned in the aforesaid manner. Now one can compare the z-score of one candidate in mathematics and another in literature without being in a situation of comparing apples and oranges. A statistician would say that different subjects are being handled as distinct ‘populations’ and scores aligned to a consistent pattern.

Candidates who sit for different examination papers in similar subjects, say physics old syllabus (POS) and physics new syllabus (PNS), should similarly be treated as different ‘populations’. For example, say the average mark in POS is 50 and the average mark in PNS is 60. Then can you really say that a candidate who scores 62 in PNS is better than one who scores 61 in POS? Of course not; OS and NS candidates in similar subjects should be treated like candidates who take different subjects. That is to say their z-scores should be processed as distinct ‘populations’. From all reports the fiasco has arisen because OS and NS scores were not processed as separate ‘populations’ in z-score calculations. When this is not done the final z-scores are a jumbled mess from pooling two distinct ‘populations’, say POS and PNS, into one. Different z-scores within the jumble cannot be meaningfully compared; they are indeed apples and oranges shoved into one basket.

The examination authorities and ministry had two years lead time to think, design and disclose to the public how it intended to handle this apparent conflict of interest between OS and NS. The authorities failed to do so and have infuriated the public. The President has taken a goodly share of the anger upon himself by rushing the authorities to release examination results prematurely.

There have been errors in the finalisation of district lists but these are errors pure and simple, not matters of methodological significance. We are assured that they have been rectified and I am prepared to accept the assurance. The problem lies elsewhere. If the z-scores are recomputed as suggested above, rankings will change and some candidates who are currently ineligible for university admission will become eligible, pushing out others who are currently ‘eligible’. If the scores are not recomputed all those currently excluded will argue that they have been unfairly excluded. There is no respite; the government has caught a tiger by the tail! I do not see how not just Bandula, but even Rajapaksa is going to extricate himself from this hole. Bandula must take formal responsibility and resign; did I hear you say "Fat hopes"?

The private universities debate

A Bill to allow private universities – invariably in partnership with established overseas institutions – was drafted in secrecy and was to be rushed through parliament. It masquerades under the wolf in sheep’s clothing pseudonym ‘Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Qualification Frame Bill’. The university teachers’ federation publicised a leaked copy and it is a hair raising document that tramples academic independence underfoot. Power would be centralised and the minister would decide what is to be taught and who would teach, and much else.

The ever pliant Supreme Court would have certified it as an urgent Bill as it did with the foul 18th Amendment and the Act nationalising 35 enterprises. Apart from strangulation and burial of the public university system this mode of enactment is an affront to democratic rights of citizens in a matter of utmost public importance. In the 1940s the Act to establish the University of Ceylon went through protracted public consultation and refinement by more than one committee of local and international experts. Colonial liberalism was more open, transparent and democratic than the Rajapaksa regime!

JVP led student bodies, are on the boil; protest marches are breaking out and SB, whose penchant for strong-arm stuff is known, is threatening hell and fury. The case of the student bodies and the majority of the academic community is that the government is attempting to scuttle Lanka’s university free education system. This reading is made against the background a sharp pro-business rightward turn in economic policy concocted in cahoots with the IMF.

In my view the suspicion that the government is bent on undermining the university system, now all public but for the contested Malabe medical school, is justified. The fear is substantiated by the treatment successive governments have meted out to the universities for decades. While neighbours like India, Singapore and Malaysia are proud of their public universities and venture to grow their best into centres of international excellence, Sri Lanka has simply starved its universities of: (i) funds (library, laboratory and lodgings), (ii) a research ethos and opportunities, (iii) national recognition, and (iv) international connections. For an account of how public universities are being run to the ground see Ranga Jayasuriya’s piece on page 5 of LakbimaNews, 15 January.

The government wants a by now problematic and potentially expensive public university system off its hands; it would like to delegate high-flyer slots to new fee levying private universities. Thereafter a second class rump public university system will be retained for the yako classes. Lanka is the lowest spender on education in South Asia as a percentage of GDP (2%) and a percentage of the budget (7.5%).

Yes, having fee-levying private universities is good; it expands opportunity for those who can afford to pay. However, remember that the worlds finest, Harvard, Princeton, MIT etc, are private but not-for-profit schools. Actually they use the income from their huge endowment funds to provide scholarships for outstanding financially strapped applicants from the US and anywhere in the world. The fundamental thing is that these are universities, centres of academic excellence, not business ventures. Their raison d’etre is different from institutions outreaching, mainly out of the UK and Australia (no offence meant), to earn profit overseas due to funding difficulties at home. The latter are primarily business ventures, they subscribe to the philosophy of education as a marketed commodity; often they are degree factories with lax standards where one can buy Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees, even PhDs. OK this is an overstatement, but you get the gist of what I am saying, and I speak from knowledge of such outreach ventures in Hong Kong.

Private universities are fine in principle but if they are to be built over the dead body of the public university system by a government with deeply step-motherly motives, well that’s another matter. Oxford and Cambridge take no notice of private colleges on the banks of the Thames; the latter offer no competition. But when public universities are being run to the ground instead of being nurtured as centres of excellence, then privatisation is an entirely different story.

In this context the GCE(A/L) examination mess is seen by most as a deliberate conspiracy by the government and the Ministries of Education and Higher Education to turn the public against the free education system and rush through an iniquitous Bill. Though I find this conspiracy theory far fetched it has taken a grip on the public mind. Swathes of public opinion buy it; parent’s associations, teacher’s unions and grass roots bodies are mobilising for a showdown. The standoff between government and student-teacher-parent combine may turn out to be a more serious conflict than just A-Level results. SB must take responsibility and resign; but did I hear you say "Fat hopes" again!

‘Can I go against the Z score scaling technique which I advocated?’, asks Prof. Thattil

January 21, 2012, 7:33 pm , Sunday Island

On a request by UNP parliamentarian Dr. Jayalath Jayawardena, Professor R. O. Thattil has written to him (the MP) clarifying a statement made by Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake to justify why he (the Professor) was not consulted in formulating the Z score.

"One reason given by him was that I appeared in a court case a few years back and stated that the Z score was incorrect. This is a complete distortion of facts. What really happened was that I submitted a document in a court case with respect to rounding off errors. In that document, I stated that the Z scores received for each subject, should not be rounded off at the second decimal place before averaging the Z scores of the different subjects of a given student", Prof. Thattil noted.

He said the rounding off error can go up to 0.005 (i.e. a change in the 3rd decimal place) in the final Z score. This value is decisive at the cut off where entry to different streams are made. For example, a Z score 1.251 will be rounded to 1.25 while a score of 1.255 in rounded to 1.26. Why round off intermediate values, when the computer can keep a large number of decimal places.

"How can I go against the Z score scaling technique which I advocated more than a decade ago? I am sure the committee appointed by the President must have seen this document but never mentioned it in their report", he said.

"The second allegation is on malpractices. When I was the Director of the Post Graduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA) from 2002 - 2006 there was a need to put up a classroom complex (4 storey), since the space was not enough to cater to the increased intake. While the building was being put up, there was an audit query regarding why the company that quoted a higher figure was chosen as the Constructor. I answered the query explaining the reasons. The Tender Board and the Board of Management has earlier approved this", the Professor explained.

"There was also no inquiry committee appointed by the UGC to look into the allegations made. However, the UGC did not reappoint me for another term. This is used as the reason why I am speaking out against the incorrect method used by the UGC appointed committee in calculating the Z score. I am a professional who is speaking out against something that is wrong. I am not politically motivated at all, although some persons have branded me as an anti-government activist and slinging mud at me", he noted.

GMOA rebel faction to break ranks to hoist alternate trade union

*No such move – GMOA Asst. Secretary
*Constitution finalized - spokesman

January 21, 2012, 7:27 pm , The Island

by Suresh Perera

A rebel group of medical practitioners is making clandestine plans to break away from the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) and form an alternate trade union to tide over, what a spokesman last week described as "the prevailing inaction and impotency which have denied doctors their just rights and privileges".

"We have already finalized our Constitution", he asserted. "The strategic move to break ranks and hoist our own trade union arm will happen when everything falls into place".

The spokesman and other medical practitioners actively involved in ongoing structural work on the proposed outfit requested anonymity as they feared suspension or even expulsion from the GMOA if they were identified. The union’s constitution provides for such disciplinary action.

"We will make the official announcement at the right time", the spokesman noted. "As for now, we need to operate under cover until the logistics are worked out and the official registration process is completed".

"There is no move whatsoever by any members to create a new faction", countered Dr. Upul Gunasekera, GMOA’s Assistant Secretary. "These are mere rumors".

"Let the GMOA be content with this pacifying thought until we are ready to come out to the open and challenge them", the spokesman shot back. "They are entitled to their right to remain in the dark".

Asked how many active members are on the job laying the ground work, he replied, "Around 100 doctors serving in hospitals island-wide, including the North and East, are working with us. Amongst them are 25 former GMOA executive committee members. Initially, we expect a membership of 500 plus when the outfit is launched, hopefully in February 2012".

The GMOA started with just 10 members, he pointed out. "We have a target to achieve as we march on, with a projected four digit membership in one year’s time".

At the last GMOA Annual General Meeting (AGM), around 1,200 members supported another candidate for the presidency, the spokesman said. "This means there are people who want a change as they are unhappy with the unfolding developments".

"There cannot be room for a breakaway faction as the GMOA stands united and we are proud of it", Dr. Gunasekera stressed. "Unity is of paramount importance to take our struggle forward".

The GMOA has proven to be a miserable failure – a virtual non-entity, the spokesman charged. "Has the leadership of this trade union been able to win any demands since assuming office?"

Take the key demands to push up doctors’ salaries to 200,000 rupees and the ‘disturbance allowance’ to 33,000 rupees (From the present 12,500 rupees) and grant a communication allowance of 6,000 rupees, he said "At the last GMOA election in June 2011,, they promised to deliver but the absence of a strategic plan had failed to win any of these demands so far".

"This is totally false. We don’t place all the benefits we have got for our members in the public domain. They are published in our news letter and also discussed at our general committee meetings", says Dr. Sankalpa Marasinghe, GMOA’s Assistant Secretary.

These are allegations made by a certain set of individuals who lost the last (GMOA) election, he noted. "They are baseless".

The spokesman said the GMOA protested against the Private Medical College (PMC) and appointments to the SLMC, but the government ignored the rumblings and went ahead with it. "This shows the trade union has lost its steam".

"Do you know what has happened to the PMC? It is on hold as an investigation is in progress. The green light to set up this college had been given by the GMOA at that time", Dr. Marasinghe asserted.

With its negotiating power gone, the GMOA no longer makes an impact, the spokesman asserted. "That’s why trade union action has become the first option now to achieve its objectives".

"There is a complaint filed in the SLMC against two GMOA Exco members by another medical practitioner", he alleged. "The inquiry is ongoing".

"There are no such complaints before the SLMC", the Assistant Secretary insisted. "I know who is giving such misleading information.

The spokesman claimed that another GMOA member, a medical specialist, remains in Colombo using his position in the trade union while some key hospitals in the country do not have a single doctor in this discipline to treat patients.