Free education and poverty alleviation

December 29, 2013, 12:00 pm 

by Sompala Gunadheera, the island

I admire my colleague, Dr. P. G. Punchiheva’s dedication to our mutual roots as evinced by his letter to The Island of December 28,under the title "Scrapping of Grade 5 Schol Exam: some issues". I have myself expressed my reservations on the proposed move to cancel the Fifth standard scholarship examination in my article on ‘I without FYE’, appearing in The Sunday Island of Dec. 29.

But, I have not dealt with the stipend normally paid to children below the poverty line when they get through the examination. Perhaps, it was called ‘scholarship examination’ because of this payment. Children whose families were above a specified monthly income did not receive the stipend. Others who passed it had only the advantage of moving into a better school.

Speaking for myself, the stipend made no difference until I was admitted to a hostel and scholarship money was used to maintain it. Until such time the award had got lost in my father’s budget, after a part of it was deducted as contributions to the school, thus heralding a practice that is rampant today. In any case, the payment did not make much difference to me. Judging from the rush to go home for the weekend, conditions at home might have been better than at the hostel for most of us. The stipend really stood me in good stead only after I was relocated to a school to which travelling was expensive and inconvenient.

In any case, poor law was in the embryo when the Father of Free Education formulated his Scheme. His principal aim was to make higher education accessible to the poor. He was perceptive enough though, to realise that, the concession would make no difference to a hungry child. Thus, the stipend was calculated to be an ancillary support. Such provision became superfluous after financial support was provided across the board to every family below the poverty line. After Samurdhi the scholarship became a double payment. Such payment would intensify competition causing jealousy in the environment and tension in the child, avoidance of which appears to be a main objective behind the abolition of the FYE.

Under the proposed Scheme the new exam becomes a tool of admission to the Central School. Poverty alleviation is no longer its problem. What comes under the education sector now is provision for the dropouts left in the feeder schools and enhancement of facilities for the successful. In the matter of providing facilities, all who get into the Central School are on an equal footing after getting in there. Their needs have to be dealt with on the merits of each case. They are lucky that such needs have been personally recognized by the Head of State in making provisions in the 2012 Budget.

In an article, "Helping poor children - ensure delivery on target" published in The Island on November 18, 2012, I made the following remark: "It warmed the cockles of my heart to hear the recent Budget offering nourishment, extra clothing and new shoes to the destitute children of schools in the backwoods".

Observing that the budget provision might not be spent efficiently, unless a new and effective setup was established in the concerned schools with an eagle-eyed manager at the top of it to supervise delivery, I suggested a gender representative panel of two to make a joint recommendation after a confidential individual interview for selecting beneficiaries. "Let the budget provisions be credited to a Welfare Fund in each school. It is likely that well-wishers of that institution, particularly its old pupils who are grateful to their alma mater for the positions they now hold in life, would be happy to contribute to the Fund".

More than a year after the budget provision, the Ministry of Education does not appear to have taken any meaningful action to organise a delivery system that could maximise the bonanza for the benefit of deserving children up to now.

In the meantime, I issued a standing order to my bank to remit a certain sum of money from my monthly pension to be paid to five students in the name of five of my favourite teachers and called for a confidential report on the beneficiaries at the end of the year. The annual report stunned me. Payment had been made to children who had failed to win scholarships but they had received double what the successful ones had got. Only one of those selected had come within the first ten in the class. Shockingly, one of them was the last! None had extracurricular attainments.

In the circumstance I suspended my SO and requested the school management to form a Welfare Fund as recommended above to which I could transfer the remittance. One year later, I still await a response. As a result, by now poor children of my old school have lost sixty thousand rupees that could have gone to supply their acute needs.

Why scrap the scholarship examination?

December 26, 2013, 12:00 pm , the island


It is surprising that the vociferous proponents of free education are silent about the decision of the Minister of Education to scrap the fifth standard scholarship examination. It would seem that because government party politicians fill the prestigious schools with their supporters or those who can influence them, these prestigious schools do not have vacancies to take in those who pass the scholarship examination.

The entire rationale for free education is to ensure equality of opportunity for children from poor families to compete for the better quality education which was available earlier in the denominational schools. These schools were taken over by the government to ensure equality of opportunity. The education imparted in the urban schools with prestigious names is far superior to that in the rural schools despite the claims of government ministers that they will raise thousand schools to the same status.

Schools that are prestigious today gained that position through long years of dedicated service with access to good teachers and facilities. The rural schools are the preserve of political appointments and the teachers are poorly qualified if qualified at all. So there is no question of equating the education provided by the prestigious schools with that in the rural schools or less popular schools.

The question is whether these prestigious schools should be the preserve of the rich and the powerful or available to those who are best fitted to benefit from their education.

Education is just another form of investment: people invest in education, as they invest in anything else, to make more money—in the form of increased earnings in the future. So by providing access to these popular schools to those who pass the scholarship examination we will be providing for fairness and equality of opportunity. The great merit of free education was that it allowed the children from lower income urban and semi-urban families to access these popular schools. But this benefit did not spread to the rural families.

The fifth standard scholarship provided a mechanism for children who are good but whose parents are in lower income brackets to benefit from a superior education- an education which is scarce despite the promises of the politicians since independence to upgrade the schools in the outstations. Income per se should not matter for education decisions: Piyadasa will get less education than John because his parents are poorer and living far from the popular schools even if the income gains from education are the same for both.

Scarce places in popular schools should go to those talented and capable of benefiting from such education rather than those whose parents can afford to pay the fees or live close to the school. If parental income or nearness to a school ( also related to income level) plays such a vital role in determining educational investment, rich children will get a better education even if they are not particularly talented, and talented poor children may be deprived of a superior education.

Education should benefit those who are talented and a society that provides the opportunity for gifted children, deprived for whatever reason, of the benefit from the best education available in the country, will promote both economic benefits since those who can benefit from a superior education will be an asset while those who fill these schools and are unable to benefit from their education will be an economic waste. Similarly there will be social benefits when there is equality of opportunity irrespective of the level of incomes of their parents.

What is required is not to scrap the scholarship examination but to reduce the subjects and make it less dependent on the acquisition of knowledge and more on measuring intelligence and general knowledge.

Barbara Seneviratne says, ‘If the ministers of education past and present had any knowledge of child psychology this very competitive exam could have been considered not of any help to the child. They are made to cram only a few subjects. Those subjects are not relevant for the new class which they would attend the following year.’ Yes, the answer is to change the syllabus and make it more oriented to measuring intelligence and general knowledge.

R.M.B Senanayake

 

GCE AL 2013 results: NE Provinces gain top results due to four years of peace-UGC chief

December 26, 2013, 8:43 pm


By Shamindra Ferdinando, the island

Prof. Kshanika

Chairperson of the University Grants Commission Prof. Kshanika Hiriburegama yesterday observed that the Northern and Eastern Provinces did so well at the GCE Advanced Level examination in 2013 due to restoration of peace.

Prof. Hiriburegama told The Island that it was a clear sign that schools were able to function without hindrance since the conclusion of the conflict in May 2009.

Northern Province achieved the highest success rate of 63.3 percent while the Eastern Province recorded 60.1 per cent. Sabaragamuwa was placed second.

The Northern Province comprises Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar districts. The Eastern Province consists of Ampara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee districts.

Prof. Hiriburegama said: "Education is the backbone of a country and primary factor for development hence this year’s Advanced Level results is a clear sign of post-war progress in the field of education."

Responding to a query, Prof. Hirimburegama said that education had always been a priority for the northerners, particularly those living in the Jaffna peninsula. Those genuinely interested in post-war stability would be pleased by the Northern Province beating all other provinces to take the top post.

Earlier former Commandant of the elite Special Task Force (STF) Senior DIG Nimal Lewke in an interview with The Island said that the Tamil political leadership, Western powers as well as the LTTE rump should re-examine their position on the post-war situation.

Lewke said that the nation topping examination results meant that the eradication of the LTTE was having a significant positive impact on the northern and eastern communities.

Prof. Hirimburegama expressed the belief those foreign governments much concerned about post-war developments here would see the overall performances of the northern and eastern districts as a positive sign.

Sri Lankan Universities In Dire Straits

By Darshani Wimalasuriya -

The standard of education, at Sri Lankan universities, is declining rapidly.  According to World ranking, local universities standards, are now below the universities of failed states in Africa. Major universities in Uganda, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe, are now in a superior position, than Sri Lankan universities. Instead of quality education, Sri Lankan universities are now focused on violence, extremist student politics, strikes, low productivity, and moral decay.

Mr. Navarathna Banda – a senior lecturer attached to the Sri Jayawardhanapura University, cites the reasons that have pushed our university system down, into this deplorable state. According to him, over 90 % of Sri Lankan university professors and senior lectures are under qualified, and inexperienced.

The majority of these university teachers, are working in the same universities where they graduated from, and do not possess any overseas exposure or experience. Academically, their knowledge and experience are stunted, limited and outdated. Therefore these university teachers are incapable of preparing their students, to face the educational challenges of the 21^st century.

Over the last 30 years, our universities, failed to carry out any world class research, any validated scientific study, or produce a noteworthy publication, to capture the attention of the international academia. These shortcomings represent the void, in our universities. In order to cover-up these failures, Professor Naleen De Silva, recently carried out a research on Arsenic, at the Kelaniya University, violating all internationally accepted, research standards. It became the laughing stock, of the academic community.

Ragging & Violence in Sri Lankan Universities

Unfortunately, ragging and violence have become part and parcel of local university culture. Ragging involves harassment, abuse and humiliation of new students. It is a serious form of Human Rights violations. We believe that almost all Sri Lankan university students have faced such harassment, either physically or verbally, as first year students. So far, no one has disputed it, and we challenge anyone to come forward, and refute this statement.

For decades, brutal ragging has prevailed in Sri Lankan universities. And throughout, teachers could not, or did not want to put a stop to it. The   reasons are easy to understand; they too were victims of ragging during their days at university, and a majority of them, later turned into perpetrators themselves, as they became senior students. For them, it is a moral challenge, to prevent ragging in our universities. The other reason is that radical political groups are using ragging, as a political weapon, to control new students.

Sexual violence, and brutal physical ragging, is a hidden malaise amongst Sri Lankan universities. The Perdeniya University has the worst, reputation. The most infamous, and horrible case of sexual violence, was reported in 1975, from the Peradeniya University. A 22 year-old female student, Rupa Rathnaseeli, of the Faculty of Agriculture, University of Peradeniya, leapt off the second floor of the hostel -Ramanathan Hall, when a group of seniors, tried to insert a pen, into her vagina, as part of sadistic physical ragging.

Rupa, sustained serious injuries to her spine, became paralyzed, and confined to a wheel chair for many years. Her dreams were shattered, and her young life was wasted. In 1997, Rupa Rathnaseeli committed suicide. After this incident, the Peradeniya University authorities, made-up a story, in order to cover-up and conceal evidence. After her death, they conveniently forgot Rupa Rathnaseeli. Those guilty of committing this crime against Rupa, are administrators of the university today. Some are even Professors!

In 2011, three students from the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, were arrested by the Police, and produced before the Kandy Additional Magistrate, Mr. Ravindra Premaratne, for sexually assaulting a fresher. In another incident, three second-year female students, of the Faculty of Arts, University of Peradeniya, were charged with ragging a group of female freshers in a toilet. These female freshers, were stripped naked, during the ragging, and forced to perform, indecent sexual acts. The University authorities, imposed a three-week suspension, on these three female offenders.

According to an unofficial internal report, these three senior female students, sexually molested, a newcomer from the Gampaha District. The internal report further reveals, that the victim was afraid to lodge a complaint, with the university authorities, as they adopted a very lethargic approach, to female ragging incidents. Therefore no further charges were brought against, the perpetrators. Although these senior female students, had committed a serious sexual offence, they were able to participate in lectures, soon after the three- week suspension was lifted. Up to date, the authorities of the University of Peradeniya have not taken, any action against the perpetrators, and they mostly covered up, the incidents.

Similar incidents have been reported, from Ruhuna, Sri Jayewardenepura, Kelaniya and Sabaragamuwa Universities. The authorities there too, adopted the Peradeniya policy.

In other incidents; in 1993, an innocent student, named Chaminda Punchihewa, of the Ruhuna University, died, as a result of cruel ragging. He was viciously beaten, and forced to perform vigorous exercises, by senior students. In 1997, a first year female student, of the University of Ruhuna committed suicide following, intolerable ragging. She was subjected, to appalling sexual harassment. In 2011, Professor Susirith Mendis, Head of the Ruhuna University, informed the media, that a group of students, had physically ragged, a female student– Vathsala Kumudini De Silva. As a result of physical ragging, she became semi-paralyzed, in one limb.

In her autobiography, ‘Punarukthi’– (Rebirth), the   award-winning actress, dramatist and writer, Anoma Janadari, states that inhuman and degrading ragging, were imposed on students, at the University of Colombo. She further, writes that most of her female batch mates were subjected to, sexual harassments, by senior students, at the Colombo University.  Another former student, of the University of Colombo, (now completing her post graduate degree, at a university in Michigan) confirms, that in 2011, some senior students, of the Colombo University, splashed buckets of water, containing human feces, on freshers. She, further says, that inhuman and degrading acts, are committed at major universities in Sri Lanka, and no one is held, accountable.

The award-winning, Sri Lankan film and tele-drama actress, Yashoda Wimaladharma, reveals that she had to undergo, such brutal ragging, while at the University of Kelaniya, that it was an emotional shock, for her father, R. L. Wimaladharma, a lecturer, also at the Kelaniya university. According to Yashoda Wimaladharma, her father, could not bear the merciless harassment of his daughter, and suffered a heart attack.

Student Unions  

Sri Lankan Universities have student political groups, manipulated by extremists. When a new batch of students arrives, at the University, they are intimidated and threatened with physical ragging, by the seniors. Often, the new students are not even allowed, to have a dialog with, the university lecturers, not allowed ask questions at lectures, not allowed to take part in English courses, and not allowed to use the university library, by these extremist, student unions.

The freshes, are forced to wear inexpensive clothes, and are not allowed to wear shoes. In some universities, they are not even allowed, to take a shower, nor clean themselves, after using the toilet, for several weeks. In some universities, the students are not allowed to drink beverages, like Coca Cola. This ‘prohibition’, was vigorously implemented, at the Universities of Colombo, and Kelaniya.

The senior students, of the Sri Lankan universities, use physical and sexual harassment, to control newcomers. Commonly used methods, include, sexual violence, forcibly stripping naked, forced masturbation, forced oral or anal sex, sexual simulation, urinating on victims, inserting pens and candles into the victim’s anus or vagina, smearing tooth paste or Marmite, on the victim’s genitals, prohibiting underwear, for both male and female, ‘bucketing’ or throwing water, containing animal, or human feces, insulting with profanity, interrogating  victims, with profane questions, forced to repeat, profane words or sing such songs, in the presence of a group etc.

Although rape, and sodomy are rare, recent reports indicate, that these forms of extreme violence, are gradually emerging, in Sri Lankan Universities.

Student political groups, use ragging as a weapon, to control new students, and to indoctrinate them. There are, unmentionable Human Rights violations, occurring within, the local university system, and many Professors, and other authorities, maintain silence. Most sexual, and physical harassment, are covered up, by the university establishment, and the general public, is unaware, of most of these horrible incidents, that take place, within these educational institutions.

Majority of university lecturers, do not want to get involved, in internal politics, or are fearful of making enemies, with extremist student groups. Most of the above mentioned, inhuman acts of ragging, take place, before their very eyes, and yet, they do nothing to stop it. Therefore many university teachers, turn a blind eye, to these incidents, and move away. Professors, and lecturers who openly opposed ragging, were subjected to numerous types of violence, and some, were compelled to leave the universities, for their safety.

The Poor State of Sri Lankan Medical Faculties  

At one time, Sri Lankan medical schools produced the best doctors, recognized internationally. Unfortunately, this has not been the case, over the past few decades. According to a leading Sri Lankan medical doctor, who is workings, as an associate Professor, in an American university, the standards, of Sri Lankan medical faculties, have declined.

The majority, of Sri Lankan doctors, who graduated over the past few decades, have a very poor knowledge, of English, therefore unable to communicate, effectively and professionally.  He, further says, that Sri Lankan doctors lack attitudinal training, medical ethics and accountability, towards their patients. According to international ranking, of medical schools, many medical schools, of the 3^rd world countries, such as Nigeria, Nepal, India, and Tanzania, have surpassed the Sri Lankan, medical faculties.

Sri Lankan Universities are Virtually Dead

“Sri Lankan Universities are virtually dead”, says a senior lecturer, attached to, the University of Colombo. According to him, qualified professors, prefer overseas universities, in their search for, prosperous job opportunities. Only the old and inefficient academics are trapped, in the local university system.

Majority of Sri Lankan University Professors, and senior lecturers, do not have the desire, to improve, the quality of the local universities, or stop sadistic ragging. They refrain, from sending their children, to local Universities. Their children therefore, attend universities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada, and Australia, New Zealand etc., thus creating a huge academic and intellectual void, in local universities.

Student Heroes

When academics, and university authorities failed, in their responsibility, several student leaders, took courageous measures, to stop ragging and sexual harassment, in the local universities. One such example was, Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha- a third year Management student, of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura. He was, a charismatic student leader, who launched an anti-ragging campaign, at the university, and soon, other universities too, were inspired, by his humane crusade.

A group, of student extremists, killed Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha, on 7th November 2002. He was, viciously assaulted, at the university premises, and his head was smahed, with a computer terminal. One of his killers, who masterminded the murder – Sujith Kuruwita, used his political connections, to evade charges, and today, he is at large. After Ovitigala Vithanage Samantha’s death, his humane campaign, lost its voice, and once again, violence and sadism, overcame Sri Lankan universities.

www.lankauniversity-news.com

Sri Lankan Universities are Below African Universities 

African Universities are, now internationally better recognized, than Sri Lankan Universities. According to 2012 World University Ranking, Makerere University (Uganda), occupies the 1174 place, demonstrating a superior educational quality, than Sri Lankan higher education institutes.  Ironically, Idi Amin’s Uganda, has easily defeated, the leading universities of Sri Lanka. According to the 2012 World Ranking, University of Moratuwa is at 2150, University of Colombo- 2255, University of Ruhuna -2353, and University of Peradeniya -2973. Hence these local universities, now represent, a very low level, of international ranking.

While Sri Lankan universities, struggle with their poor standards of education, Polytechnic of Namibia, has reached the 1319^th place, Sudan’s University of Khartoum- 1394, University of Nairobi- 1435, Mansoura University of Egypt-  1685, University of Ghana-Ethiopia’s Addis Ababa University- 1903, Tanzania’s University of Dar Es Salaam- 1977,and Sudan‘s University of Science & Technology- 2020. Most of these African countries have low literacy rates, compared with Sri Lanka. But they have defeated, all our local universities, in the international arena.

Need Action

Regrettably, Sri Lankan Universities have been on the decline, both morally and academically, over the last four decades. There was a time, when Sri Lankan universities, were the shining examples, of higher education, and academic leadership. Unfortunately, the quality of education and research work at these universities, have declined drastically. Today, Sri Lankan universities are, lagging far behind.

Urgent measures are needed, to put an end to, physical and sexual violence, in our universities, and the standard of education, must be improved. Recently, the Minister of Higher Education, S.B Dissanayake told the media that, he intends to invite, overseas students, to Sri Lankan Universities. With the prevailing low standards of education, at our universities, violance and frequent strikes, within our university system, foreign students might think twice, about coming to further their education, in Sri Lanka.

Education is not a privilege. It is a Human Right. Higher education is the only hope and salvation for Sri Lankans, so let it not be destroyed!

Selection to Academic Positions in the University

University of Jaffna,

4^th December 2013.

To: The Vice Chancellor, members of the Council and well–wishers of the University,

Selection to Academic Positions in the University

Selection to academic positions is the task of mainly senior academics holding administrative responsibilities: the university community and the public rightly expect that this obligation is discharged conscientiously. Regrettably, we are more and more troubled by justifications from these same senior academics for overlooking candidates with superior certified academic performances, in favour of those with inferior records. The reasons frequently given – the selected candidate performed “superbly” in the interview or the candidate’s presentation was “superb” – point to the selectors trying to cover up something seriously amiss that troubles them. Current selections will determine the academic standing of the University, and its intellectual environment, for many years to come. It is now time to refresh our minds on the criteria for selection to academic positions.

The major criterion for selection to an academic post is academic excellence. This is because University is the highest seat for learning and its teachers do not teach from text books alone. They should continually update their knowledge and prepare their students accordingly. They should capture new outcomes in their research fields and apply them in their own work. A person who had absorbed what was taught over four years and applied it well in answering questions regularly set at examinations should be most suitable for the purposes given. Hence as the first category for selection to the post of Lecturer (Probationary), the UGC has specified a First or Second Class (Upper Division) specialization in the relevant subject. Other categories are considered only when candidates in the first category are not available. When selections are made from other categories, the Council must justify it to the UGC.

UGC circular 935 states that “If the Selection Committee is not satisfied with the performance of candidate/candidates, but otherwise well qualified, such candidate/candidates be appointed as Temporary Lecturer/Lecturers for a period of one year and at the end of such period of such period they may be appointed as Lecturer (Probationary) having subjected to another interview and presentation”.

The Circular makes it clear that the certified record is the decisive criterion for selection. The presentation and interview are only to ensure that the selected candidate will not be a disaster as a teacher. It further makes it practically mandatory that the candidate having the best certified record be appointed in a temporary capacity, when there is some doubt about his capacity to teach and interviewed a year later. That makes plain the weight placed on qualification as opposed to presentation.

A Special Degree candidate has been tested in 120 credits using some 50 end-of-semester question papers (and numerous in-course assessments) by several tens of examiners. Each answer script has been marked twice by experienced examiners. The candidate had spent several hundred hours answering question papers in the examination hall. A first class is awarded based on this performance. In the selection board the Head of the Department is, in most cases, is an expert in the subject.

Is it that easy for such a board to reject the result obtained in the above manner and stamp a candidate as being unsuitable on the basis of a few questions fielded inadequately by the candidate during a brief interview lasting a few minutes?

To put it in another way: Whom should a board select to an academic post? A brilliant fresh graduate who did not do well in the presentation or one with an inferior record with better presentation skills?

We must further keep in mind that many years of war and migration have lowered the kind of exposure where students would pick up better English and present themselves more attractively. Under these circumstances it is incumbent on us to give students who have worked hard to overcome some of their handicaps and perform well during their four years at the University, their due opportunity to rise further. 

Selection on subjective criteria such as interview and performance easily becomes the means of abuse to favour those with superior connections and influence at the expense of persons from humbler backgrounds who have shown superiorability.

Once this abuse takes root, the character of the University suffers, as those selected become increasingly beholden to those in authority. 

JUSTA

Intl. Conference  at Peradeniya Uni.

December 11, 2013, 10:26 pm, the island

By Cyril Wimalasurendre

KANDY – The Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, of the University of Peradeniya, has organized an international conference on Industrial and information systems (10115 – 2013). The conference will be held at the University from December 17 to 20.

This year, the theme of the conference is, ‘Innovative Technologies for sustainable development’.

Experts from a number of countries, including Canada, Australia and India, would address the conference. Chairman Dr. Vijitha Herath said that it had attract 246 research submissions from 20 countries.

He said that in order for Sri Lanka to achieve the knowledge hub status in Asia it was necessary to organise such international technology conferences in the country.

Such conferences would provide local technology researchers a platform to interact with the experts from around the world and in turn would improve the quality of the local researchers and technologists, Dr. Herath said.

Delays in university admissions: solution urgently needed

December 11, 2013, 12:00 pm , the island


Sri Lanka is probably the only country where students have to wait for a long period of more than one year to start their university education after sitting the AL examination. The new batch of students who have been selected for admission to universities on the results of the A/L examination conducted in August 2012 are yet to commence their respective courses of study though more than 14 months have elapsed. According to a recent University Grants Commission (UGC) announcement, admissions to the universities are to commence in January 2014.

The state universities are notoriously afflicted with many problems causing disruptions to their smooth running - main contributory factors being student unrest, ragging, and staging of strikes by both academic and non-academic staff with least regard to the well-being of the student population. The end result is that students complete their courses of study much later than their counterparts in foreign universities and those other institutions of tertiary education.

Eventually, new graduates enter the job market usually 3 or 4 years behind those of foreign universities. In case of medical graduates the average age they complete their degrees is around 27 years at present whereas the norm is 24 years.

It is incomprehensible why the Examinations Department takes more than five months to release results, and the UGC to admit students to the universities taking even a longer period of time. With the availability of modern technology the Exams Dept and the UGC should be able to publish results more accurately and in time, but unfortunately this has not happened. There are no properly scheduled dates for conduct of examinations, release of results or admission of students to universities.

In contrast to the prevailing scenario in Sri Lanka, one can find how smoothly the Indian university entrance examinations are conducted and admissions to universities are completed within a specific period of time without a lag as it happens here. In India the Grade XII examination of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) is conducted in March each year and results are released at the end of May or early June, and students are admitted to universities in September. It is to be noted that the Grade XII CBSE examination is conducted in many foreign centers as well and the numbers sitting are around one million. The due process takes place there without a hitch or without inaccuracies.

The public university system of Sri Lanka has struggled with these issues for over two decades, and it is an unacceptable impediment to national economic growth as well as the individual prosperity of the youth of the country. It is time for the relevant institutions and authorities to deliver a solution to this problem, whether it be by administrative reforms, increased funding and investment for public education or the induction of private universities to the national education system.

Ananda Dodanwela
Nugegoda

Mass protests by undergrads demanding increases in Mahapola and bursary payments

December 3, 2013, 9:50 pm , The Island

By Dasun Edirisinghe

Undergraduates of universities countrywide are demanding the doubling of the Mahapola and bursary payments as they had not been increased during the last eight years.

Convener of the Inter University Students’ Federation Sanjeewa Bandara told The Island yesterday that at present, Rs. 2,500 and Rs. 2,000 were paid monthly as Mahapola and bursary payments respectively.

He said that the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’ policy document promised to increase the payment by Rs. 500 eight years ago, but that had yet to be implemented.

Bandara said however a Rs. 500 increment was not enough now as the cost of living index had skyrocketed during the last few years and they needed to double the payments.

"We were looking forward to it in the budget 2014, but President Mahinda Rajapaksa did not allocate any funds to increase the Mahapola or bursary," he said.

The student activist said that they held protests at each university during last week and the final protest at university would be held opposite the Kelaniya University today (04).

Bandara said that they would march from each university to the closest town next Wednesday as the second stage of their protest.

"We will hold the protest march on the same day countrywide," he said.

Bandara said that they would finally hold a national level demonstration demanding that the authorities increase Mahapola and bursary payments without any further delay.

The Island learns that IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara was earlier granted bail by the Gangodawila Magistrate on the condition that he would not organise unlawful gatherings. A case had been filed against him by the Mirihana police against his organising a protest march from Sri Jayewardenepura University to Town Hall as it caused inconvenience to the general public.

Asked whether he was violating bail conditions by organizing the protest marches demanding increases in Mahapola and Bursary payments, Bandara said that he was ordered not to organize gathering which caused harm to public peace, but the new protest would be a peaceful one organized to win their rights.

BBS in favour of private campus

Tuesday, 03 December 2013 17:51

Dailymirror lk

The Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) Organisation today said that it was in favour of establishing private universities in Sri Lanka and said the move would stop Sri Lankan monies going out of the country.

“We cannot let people or organisations like Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) to act on their agendas and oppose for moves that benefits the country. Students wouldn’t have to spend millions of rupees for universities abroad when there are standard private universities in Sri Lanka,” BBS General Secretary Galagoda Atte Gnanasara Thera told a news conference.

He said this move would not only help save money but also save the Sri Lankan society from falling apart. “Some students who travel overseas never come back. Their families as well as the country lose them,” he said.

He also said state universities should be protected from being privatized.

The Thera said that they would initiate public forums throughout the country to garner people’s opinion on education system and would handover a proposal to the Education Ministry in order to reform the present education system.

“The present education system in the country is not up to date and practical. The system is in ruins,” he said. (Jayashika Padmasiri & Lahiru Pothmulla)