UGC says no pay for striking non-academics

July 1, 2012, 10:01 pm ,the island

University Grants Commission chief Prof. Gamini Samaranayake said that while endorsing the right of workers to strike, the International Labour Organization (ILO) had decided that they shouldn’t be paid for the days they don’t work.

Prof. Samaranayake told The Island that in line with the ILO directive, university non-academic staff wouldn’t be paid as they didn’t report for work recently.

The official was responding to non-academic staff of the Rajarata and Eastern Universities who alleged that their full salaries weren’t paid last month, though their colleagues at other universities received it in full.

President of the Inter University Trade Union Federation R. M. Chandrapala told The Island that they refrained from working from June 06 to 27 to pressure the government to rectify their salary anomalies.

According to him, the UGC had directed Vice Chancellors to deprive them of 70 per cent of their salary.

Over 2000 potential mosquito breeding grounds found in C’bo

The armed forces and private security services yesterday carried out a dengue eradication programme under which 360 teams inspected 13,356 houses in Colombo. Sources said that over 2,000 of them were identified as potential breeding grounds while cases would be filed against about 60 house owners. Sources said that this was the largest one-day anti-dengue operation conducted in Colombo.

Address academics’ concerns about future of education, universities

July 1, 2012, 7:54 pm ,the island

We as a group of Emeritus Professors and former members of the academic staff of Sri Lankan State universities wish to record our grave concern at the deteriorating situation in our national universities and reports of threats of violence against members of the academic community. We are shocked by the alleged death threats received by the current president of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri, Head of the Department of History of the University of Colombo. These threats have come after FUTA’s announcement of trade union action to be launched in the next few weeks.

The right of academics of Sri Lankan universities to engage in trade union action on issues of wider concern in the university system has a long tradition. University trade unions have played a significant role in improving the conditions of university staff and also impacting on higher education policy. The fact that some of us engaged in trade union action has never meant that our expertise and professional contribution was not respected and valued by respective governments. We were also never subject to threats and intimidation due to trade union action.

We have noted that the recent FUTA demands have not been limited to the personal concerns of academics, but have also been expanded to bring attention to the current crisis in the public universities due mostly to lack of funding and what seems to be entrenched political interference. There is a total disregard for the core concepts of university autonomy and academic freedom recognized in the Universities Act. We have watched the deterioration of national universities with grave concern and have sometimes raised these issues in public fora. Our concerns on previous occasions have related to current trends in militarisation, violence, intimidation and lawlessness. This violence is now being directed at university academics in order to prevent them from exercising their fundamental rights to freedom of thought and expression and freedom of association and peaceful assembly.

We welcome efforts of the current academic community to fulfill their responsibilities and to engage in discussions on broader national issues that are also relevant to university education in Sri Lanka. We call upon His Excellency the President to ensure the personal safety of Dr. Dewasiri and his family and of all university academics including those engaged in trade union action so that they are not subject to acts of violence and intimidation. We also call upon the Minister of Higher Education and officials of the Ministry to respond meaningfully and in good faith to address the very relevant concerns that academics have expressed regarding the future of public education and universities in Sri Lanka.

1. Prof. Arjuna Aluwihare (Medical, Peradeniya, former VC Peradeniya, former Chairman University Grants Commission)

2. Prof. Y.R. Amarasinghe, (Political Science, Peradeniya)

3. Prof. Herbert A. Aponso, (Medical, Peradeniya)

4. Prof. Kumar David (Engineering, Peradeniya)

5. I V Edirisinghe (Sociology, Colombo)

6. Prof. Asoka Ekanayake (Dental, Peradeniya)

7. Prof. J N O Fernando (Chemistry, OUSL)

8. Dr. Laksiri Fernando (Political Science, Colombo)

9. Dr. Siromi Fernando (English, Colombo)

10. Dr. Sucharitha Gamlath (Sinhala, Jaffna and Ruhuna)

11. R K W Goonesekere (Law, University of Ceylon, former Chancellor Peradeniya)

12. Prof Savitri Goonesekere (Law, OUSL and Colombo, former VC Colombo)

13. Prof. Savitri Gunatilleke, (Botany, Peradeniya)

14. Prof. Chandra Gunewardene (Education, OUSL)

15. Prof. J A Gunawardena (Engineering, Peradeniya)

16. Prof. Ratna Handurukande (Classical Languages, Peradeniya)

17. Prof. Buddhadasa Hewavitharane (Economics, Peradeniya)

18. Prof. Laksiri Jayasuriya (Sociology, Colombo)

19. Dr. Sirima Kiribamune (History, Peradeniya),

20. Prof. Savitri Kumar (Chemistry, Peradeniya)

21. Prof. Vijaya Kumar (Chemistry, Peradeniya)

22. Prof. Lalitha Mendis (Microbiology, Colombo)

23. Dr. Sinnaiah Maunaguru (Fine Arts, Eastern)

24. Prof. Desmond Mallikarachchi (Philosophy, Peradeniya)

25. Prof P.B. Meegaskumbura (Sinhala, Peradeniya)

26. Prof Mohamed Nuhman (Tamil, Peradeniya)

27. Prof. Gananath Obeysekere (Anthropology, Princeton University and formerly University of Ceylon)

28. Prof. Ranjini Obeysekere (Anthropology, Princeton University and formerly University of Ceylon)

29. Dr. Arjuna Parakrama (English, Colombo and Peradeniya)

30. Dr Dharmasena Pathiraja (Media Studies, Colombo)

31. Prof. Merlin Peiris (Classical Languages, Peradeniya)

32. Prof. Ryhana Raheem (English, OUSL)

33. Prof. M P Ranaweera (CIvil Engineering, Peradeniya)

34. Dr. N. D. Samarawickrama (Economics, Peradeniya)

35. Prof D C H Senarath (Civil Engineering, Moratuwa),

36. Prof. H L Seneviratne (Anthropology, University of Virginia, and formerly University of Ceylon)

37. Prof. H Sriyananda (Engineering, OUSL)

38. Prof D.P M Weerakkody (Classical Languages, Peradeniya)

39. Prof. P. D Premasiri, (Pali and Buddhist Stu dies, Peradeniya)

40. Dr. P.V.J. Jayasekera (History, Peradeniya)

An appeal to Higher Education Ministry Secy.

July 1, 2012, 7:56 pm , the island

As a regular reader of Island, I was pleased that a report in The Island on 30 June quoted a letter by you, Dr Sunil Jayantha Navaratne, Education Secretary of the Ministry of Higher Education, to the academic staff members of the universities, that gave details of the increases in salaries and allowances that they had received during 2011 and 2012. I am quoting a few extracts from the reported letter that pointed out the increases:

Salary of Senior professor: 73.88% Salary of Professor: 69.73% Salary of Senior lecturer: 61.13% Salary of Lecturer: 53.39%% Salary of all the academic staff: average 66% Preparing question papers of university students: 400% Payment for evaluating question papers of internal students: 400% Payment for evaluating question papers of post graduate students: 150 % Payment for conducting visiting lectures: 200%

The increases that the academic staff members have received are impressive and enviable, and I am certain that these moves will go a long way to making Sri Lanka the Knowledge Hub of Asia.

For the benefit of many readers like the writer, who are ignorant of the amount that the academic staff receive as salary and the allowances following the increase, please give this information as well. Those who value higher education will be most grateful to you for providing them with this vital information.

Gamini Premadasa

Universities: Former Dons raise alarm

July 1, 2012, 8:58 pm ,the island

Forty leading professors and academics of Sri Lankan universities have expressed their grave concern over the deteriorating situation in the universities and reports of threats of violence against members of the academic community.

They have urged President Mahinda Rajapaksa to ensure the safety and security of all members of the FUTA in the wake of alleged threats directed at its head as well as his family.

Full statement appears on opinion page