Cartoon of the day, Dailymirror

* Academics of Sri Lanka's Jaffna University against setting up private universities
Thu, Jul 26, 2012, 09:35 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 26, Colombo: The academics of Sri Lanka's Jaffna University say the government is trying to destroy the free education system in the country.
The Jaffna University Academics (JUA) issuing a statement has observed that the government was trying to overcome its debt crisis by allowing the establishment of private universities in the country.
The academics have said the government would deny education to people at grassroots level by allowing private universities and meddling with the free education system.
Referring to the actions of the university lecturers, JUA have noted that the lecturers were not agitating only to get a salary hike, but for the betterment of the education sector in the country.
JUA has stated that the university lecturers were demanding an increase in the budgetary allocations to the education sector since it has been reduced.
According to JUA, the government by meddling with university students and lecturers was trying to create an illiterate society.

God particles and Arsenic

July 26, 2012, 7:48 pm , the island

When I read Prof. Nalin de Silva’s (NdeS) reply to Prof. Carlo Fonseka’s (CF) piece on God Particles, an average person may go haywire, although I value ND’s great ideas, sometimes.

NdeS concludes his reply by saying "Buddhist do not accept the existence of even those ‘objects’ including particles that are observed directly or indirectly". By this statement he must be referring to what Buddha has said about mundane things as Sammuthis. Buddha said all these ‘sammuthis’ are made up of ‘pancha maha bhuthyo’ means solids, liquids, gases, heat and space. But as I understand, he never meant to say ‘sammuthis’ are non-existing ‘things’ or mere illusions but man is deluded by these things and craving for possessing these worthless things, eventually extending the samsaara.

Referring to this idea, If NdeS says Buddhists do not accept the existence of particles or objects, and then all what Buddha has preached on ‘good’ and ‘bad’ becomes null and void. Because, for example, a man can easily dismiss the concept of sisterhood as an illusion and ignore all ethics in that regard! 

I am not a Physicist, Math-man or a Medic but a person who has gained a little knowledge on the first two and has some capability of collecting relevant facts (if not understanding) in popular sciences by being an interested reader.

NdeS challenges CF’s knowledge on many things in physics and mathematics including Newtonian theory on gravitation. I am not sure whether CF is in a position to argue on these matters as he is neither a mathematician nor a physicist but for sure a great rationalist like Richard Dawkins and a medic. Science is all about mundane things perceived by the five senses. The things contributed by science is immense for the benefit of man and no scholar like NdeS can live or express any idea with regard to science or math or arsenic without the help of Western sciences, whether its approach is linear or circular.

Upali Gamakumara

Mess in higher  education sector

July 26, 2012, 12:00 pm , the island

A group of students who sat the 2011 GCE A/L examination dashed coconuts at the Kataragama Devale at Balalle, Mahawa. Students said that they would complain to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka against the government depriving them of higher education due to negligence on its part. 

According to the vision statements, the UGC wants to be an excellent regulatory body which guide, develop and sustain a network of ‘centers of excellence’ in higher education meeting the national needs and aspirations in keeping with global trends; The Ministry of Higher Education wants to be the most cost effective education hub in Asia, and the Ministry of Education wants to reach excellence in global society through competent citizens who share the Sri Lankan identity.

In spite of these vision statements, almost one year has passed and the students who sat for the G.C.E A level examination held in August 2011 are still not  aware whether they will be able to enter a university in Sri Lanka,  and to which faculty. What a mess? .I think the UGC, the Ministry of Higher Education and the Ministry of Education are responsible for this mess. All this indicate that the heads of these three institutions are ineffective. Should they continue to hold these posts?.

 Dr. C.S. Weeraratna
(csweera@sltnet.lk)
Ratmalana

Admit all qualified to enter universities – FUTA

July 26, 2012, 12:00 pm , the island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) yesterday requested the government to enroll all students who had qualified to enter universities, according to previous and present Z-score lists.

Addressing a media conference at the National Library Auditorium, former General Secretary of FUTA Dr. Rohan Fernando said that they would be ready to teach a double batch if the government admitted all those students to universities except the Uva Wellassa University.

The Examinations Department had earlier pooled the old and news syllabi in calculating the Z-score, but, later the Supreme Court ordered that the Z-score be calculated separately for the two syllabi, following a petition filed by some teachers’ unions, parents and students.

According to the sub sections six and seven of Section 15 of the University Act, the UGC should  consult the faculty boards, senate and university councils when deciding the number of students to be accommodated in the relevant universities, Dr. Fernando said.

He said that all three bodies included FUTA members and they would arrange for universities to accommodate more students.

"Our members in universities countrywide, except the Uva Wellassa University, would work harder to accommodate more students for the 2012/13 batch," Dr. Fernando, adding that there were no university teachers’ associations in the newly formed Uva Wellassa University.

The senior academic said that the then governments in 1991 and 2000 had decided to enroll double batches and then too university teachers had agreed to go along with those decisions out of their concern for children.

Dr. Fernando said that the government should take a policy decision to admit more students to universities for the next academic year without further delay.

FUTA Vice President Ven. Dambara Amila thera said that the government should allocate more funds to universities to enroll all students who passed the GCE (A/L) examination annually.

"Currently, only high performers could enter universities due to lack of resources, both physical and human," he said.

Ven. Amila said that FUTA had demanded that the government allocate 6 per cent of the GDP to education since 2008 but the government had not responded positively.

"If the government accepted our demand in 2008, it could have enrolled all students who qualified under the previous and present Z-score lists without any difficulty," Ven. Amila thera said.

 

University intake will be increased – SB tells media

July 26, 2012, 10:07 pm 

By Harischandra Gunaratna, the island

The university intake would be increased this year to prevent any injustice to students, Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake stated at the Cabinet press briefing, when he was called upon to clarify the Z-score issue.

Minister Dissanayake said that the President had discussed the issue with him and had directed him to increase the number of students to be admitted to universities in consultation with the respective Vice Chancellors and the University Grants Commission. He said by October this year everything would be finalised.

"The government will see to it that there is no injustice caused to the students," the Higher Education Minister said.