Govt. hikes dons’ pay by 20%, refuses to add research grant to salary

July 31, 2014, 9:56 pm ,the island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Research allowance for university teachers would not be added to the basic salary as the allowance had been introduced to encourage university dons to engage in research, Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake said yesterday.

Addressing a media conference at the University Grants Commission auditorium, the minister said that few university lecturers wanted the 35% research grant added to the salary without doing any research.

"A majority of lecturers are engaged in research as they receive the allowance after producing their research or project," Dissanayake said, adding that they could not develop Sri Lankan universities without research.

The minister said that the government had increased the salaries of university teachers by 20% from last month without any publicity, but some lecturers were still asking for pay hikes.

Dissanayake said that now the basic salary of probationary lecturer was Rs. 67,000.