Tension at Sri J’pura University over Mahapola payments

Island

August 10, 2011, 9:47 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe

A tense situation prevailed at the Sri Jayewardenepura University yesterday morning as students surrounded the administration building demanding a discussion with the Vice Chancellor.

They surrounded the Vice Chancellors office for five hours, but later dispersed as VC Dr. N. L. A. Karunaratne was not in his office.

Undergraduates were protesting against the delay of the Mahapola payments for first year students. The VC had cancelled the scheduled event to grant the payments yesterday too, according to the Students’ Council.

"We are demanding the Mahapola payments for eight months," President of the Students Council Kamburupitiye Knanissara thera told The Island.

He said that Vice Chancellor suppressed the students for years and they wanted him to resign.

"There is lack of welfare facilities too in the university and the university administration always refuses to discuss the problems with us," Knanissara thera said.

He said that they will decide on whether to go for a massive protest over the Vice Chancellor refusing to meet them yesterday.

VC Dr. N. L. A. Karunaratne was not available for immediate comment.

English and IT study programmes at a standstill: IUSF 

Dailymirror 

Thursday, 11 August 2011 02:12

By Lakna Paranamanna
The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) said yesterday the three-month English and Information Technology study programme for new university entrants was not functioning in certain districts as a result of flaws in planning.
IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told a media briefing that though the programme was to be worked out at 250 centres countrywide, the work has come to a standstill at several centres due to the lack of proper facilities and coordinators.
“A group of coordinators trained at the British Council were to be appointed to each study centre. But, they are not carrying out their allotted work because Higher Education Ministry has reduced the promised salary of Rs.40,000 to a mere Rs.18,000,” he added.
Mr. Bandara said inefficient teaching methods have made it difficult for participants to keep up with the course contents. “It is common knowledge that a majority of students who enter university are not fluent in the English language or in IT skills. Therefore it is essential for these students to be taught the basics before moving into advanced topics. The study-programme handbook has still not been distributed at most centres including Gampaha, Polonnaruwa and Meepe,” he said.

Undergrads surround VC’s office 

Dailymirror 

Thursday, 11 August 2011 02:08

By Lakna Paranamanna
Sri Jayawardenapura University first year students yesterday surrounded Vice Chancellor N.L.A. Karunaratne’s office building and attempted to prevent him from leaving the premises following his decision to hold back the Mahapola scholarships that was to be awarded to the students.However, some two hours later the protesting students found that by then the VC had left his office.
Jayawardenapura University Students’ Union Convener the Venerable Kamburugamuwe Gnanessara Thera said the crisis had arisen because of a statement made by Dr. Karunaratne during an event at the university premises.
“During an event to award Mahapola scholarships to first year students yesterday, the VC unexpectedly announced that none of the students will be awarded the scholarships and stormed out of the auditorium,” he said.
As a result the disappointed students had surrounded the administration building, in an attempt to prevent the VC from leaving his office.
“The students are determined to continue their struggle until the VC withdraws his statement and takes measures to award the scholarships they are entitled to receive,” Rev. Gnanessara Thera said. Meanwhile, he said the Mahapola scholarships which had been held back by the VC, was to have been been awarded more than a year ago. 

Foreign University Bill in House soon

Foreign University Bill in House soon

Daily News 10/08/2011

Dinesh DE ALWIS

The much anticipated, Foreign University Bill would be presented to Parliament within the next two months after going through the Legal Draftsman.

Cabinet has sanctioned the Bill and it has been sent to the Legal Draftsman, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne told the Daily News. "Legal drafts and translation of the Bill are currently under preparation and would be shortly presented to Parliament", he said.

The new Bill which regulates and monitors foreign universities has been titled "Quality Assurance, Accreditation and Qualification Framework Bill".

He further said that up to now the ministry has received applications from 10 universities expressing their interest to set up foreign universities in Sri Lanka.

Universities from USA, Japan, UK, Russia, China, India and Australia have shown a keen interest in setting up Medical, IT, Engineering and Management Universities in Sri Lanka.

Several institutions are already under construction and these universities will launch their academic activities once the Bill is passed.

Those universities are planning to set up universities in areas such as Colombo, Kandy, Jaffna and Puttalam he said.

Every year, around 10,000 students from Sri Lanka migrate to foreign countries spending over 12 billion.

The ministry has taken measures to offer local students 20 percent of the slots in those foreign universities.

J’pura VC under house arrest

Wednesday, 10 August 2011 14:30

By Lakna Paranamanna

The students of the Jayawardenapura University have taken the Vice Chancellor Dr. N. L. A. Karunaratne under house arrest a short while ago following a protest held at the university premises.

The students had been protesting against the VC’s decision on rejecting Mahapola scholarships and they are claiming they plan to hold the VC under house arrest until he decides to approve the scholarships.

The Mirihana police stated that several teams have been dispatched to the location after they were informed by the university about the situation. (Daily Mirror Online)

University teachers salary issue - FUTA demands appointment of salary rectification committee this week

August 9, 2011, 9:15 pm
Island


by Dasun Edirisinghe

University teachers, who suspended their trade union action demanding a salary hike, urged the Higher Education Ministry yesterday to appoint a committee to look into the matter, as promised, without further delay.

University teachers withdrew from the voluntary posts they held as a protest against the government’s delay in increasing their salaries and they suspended the trade union action on three promises being made by the authorities, out of which one has still not been honoured.

"Appointing a committee to find a long term solution to university teachers salaries is one of the promises given by the ministry and treasury officials, but it has yet to be appointed," President of the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri told The Island.

He said that the salary hike would have to be decided before the budget and therefore the committee had to be appointed immediately.

The committee would include representatives from the Higher Education Ministry, University Grants Commission (UGC), Treasury, National Salaries and Cadre Commission and four members from the FUTA, according to the agreement.

"It must be appointed within this week," Dr. Devasiri said adding they have already reminded the ministry to do so.

According to him, the ministry has promised to rectify the anomalies in the academic allowance and the UGC has already issued a circular to pay it with effect from July 01.

He said the third promise was to cancel a circular issued by the UGC preventing university dons from resigning from the voluntary posts held by them without giving three-months notice.

"The UGC Vice Chairman issued a circular cancelling the previous one, but we are still in doubt about its validity as the UGC Chairman had issued the previous circular," Dr. Devasiri said.

Secretary to the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne, when contacted for comment, said that they are in the process of appointing the committee.

"We will appoint it within this week," he said.

Medical students accused of murder to go for mediation

Dailymirror

Tuesday, 09 August 2011 01:42

By L.B. Senaratne
Kandy Chief Magistrate Udaya Karalliyadde ordered that the charges against two medical students of attempting to murder a fellow student of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Peradeniya be sent to the Mediation Board for determination, This order was made after the conclusion of non-summary proceedings.
Upon being asked by the Chief Magistrate whether he had anything to submit to court after non-summary proceedings concluded, counsel for the accused Attorney- at- Law Nanda Senanayake said that there was no evidence of a murder being committed and therefore requested that his clients be set free.
The Magistrate said that he would call for a written report from the Medical Officer on the matter and court was adjourned for the day. When the case was taken up on Friday (6) after perusing the report of the Medial Officer the Chief Magistrate ordered that since the charges now came under section 316 of the Penal Code, the Plaint would be sent to the Mediation Board for determination.
The Peradeniya Police prosecuted while Attorney-at-Law Nanda Senanayake appeared for the Defence.

Universities return to normal

Dailymirror

Tuesday, 09 August 2011 01:42

 By Lakna Paranamanna    
With academics resuming duties at their voluntary administrative posts from Monday, normalcy has now returned to universities after the two-month long protest and the tug-o-war between academics and Vice Chancellors.  Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) President Nirmal Dewasiri said they decided to resume duties following a request from the university administration.
“Some issues concerning the validity of the resignation letters we tendered are still to be clarified and solved. But, sswe decided that minor technicalities should not stand in the way of restoring normalcy in the country’s higher education system,” he added.
Dr. Dewasiri said they were awaiting the University Grants Commission (UGC) circular on the academics’ salary revision, which would be implemented from the August salary.

“We received information that the treasury and the Higher Education Ministry have sent the letters to the UGC regarding the salary revision,” he said.
Dr. Dewasiri said they were also expecting the appointment of the committee to look into the full resolution of the salary anomaly of the academics.
“We were informed that the committee will be appointed this week. We hope that the committee will be appointed soon,” he added.

 

Special degree programme in Chemistry

Island
August 8, 2011, 9:48 pm


The College of Chemical Sciences, which Is the educational arm of the Institute of Chemistry Ceylon, has called for applications for its very popular Graduateship Programme in Chemistry conducted by it since 1979. This programme at the Special degree Honours level of a recognized University will be inaugurated on 7th January 2012 at Adamantane House which is the headquarters of the Institute situated at 341/22, Kotte Road, Weilkada, Raiagiriya.

Professor J. N. Oleap Fernando, the Honorary Rector of the College, states in a news release that the programme now in its 34 th year has produced 734 Graduate Chemists so far from 28 batches and this will increase to well over 800 when the 29th batch passes out by the end of the year.

Many of the passed out Grduate Chemists have obtained or are reading for postgraduate degrees In Unversities throughout the world and are making a singular contribution to national development. Those who have at least three GCF(A/L) passes are able to apply for this programme which will be completed by 2015 without any delays whatsoever. A revised curriculum which will come into operation with the admission of the next batch will take cognisanze of modern developments In the discipline.

While Advanced registration will be available at the lowest possible cost until 15th September from qualified students, provisional applications are also welcome from those sitting the Advanced level examination this year. Further details are and application forms are available from the above address on any day including weekends while it can also be downloaded from the web site www.ichemc.com

University teachers’ exam. duty allowance up

Monday, 08 August 2011 00:00

By Ranjan Kasthuri
The examinations duty allowance of university teachers has been increased fivefold by the government, officials said yesterday. Treasury approval has already been obtained for the change.
This increase in the allowance has been granted following a demand made by the Federation of University Teachers Associations, said a senior Treasury official.
A university teacher is paid Rs 20 for each answer script marked and Rs.200 for a three hour supervision of any exam.  Besides these, a university teacher is paid Rs.500 for a visiting lecture and Rs 1000 for the evaluation of a post graduate thesis at present.