GMOA still trying to prevent Carlo being appointed head of SLMC

December 30, 2011, 9:13 pm

By Dilanthi Jayamanne, The Island.

The Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) has continuously expressed its concerns over Prof. Carlo Fonseka’s appointment as the next Chief of the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC).

Addressing a Press briefing on Wednesday (27), Assistant Secretary of the GMOA Dr. Upul Gunasekera said they were hoping for a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the end of next week to discuss the issue.

He said there had been a unanimous decision by the medical fraternity to recommend the name of Professor Lalitha Mendis who has already served two terms, out of five, before tending her resignation.

However, the present chief of the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol (NATA), Dr. Fonseka is another matter. He does not have registration with the SLMC, Gunasekera said stating that they were unaware if Prof. Fonseka had registered after his name had come up as the next President of the SLMC, Gunasekera said.

According to the Medical Ordinance the SLMC Chairman should have no political affiliations to be able to function independently. Prof Fonseka is a good teacher but his comments and articles in newspapers have been able to raise several eyebrows in the medical field – especially with regard to comments he has made regarding the SLMC, he alleged.

However, President of the Sri Lanka Society for Medical Laboratory Science (SLSMLS), Ravi Kumudesh, when contacted, said it would be a good move on the part of the government as Prof. Fonseka was on par with all professions in the medical field.

"We have seen that in the past the SLMC has observed double standards towards medical officers and other professions in the health field," he charged. Their only concern has been centred on medical officers and medical colleges.

Several other health professions too need to register with the SLMC, namely: Medical Laboratory Technologists (MLTs), pharmacists, physiotherapists, radiology technologists, occupational therapists, eye technicians and dental technicians.

But it is a noted fact that the SLMC has been responsible for awarding registration to bogus diploma holders and businessmen who want to make a few quick bucks by awarding these diplomas.

Kumudesh said the present situation had left room for nurses, MLTs and the other health professions to seek their own Councils as they have no faith in the SLMC. The Nurses have already succeeded in breaking away.

He said that Prof. Fonseka was quite capable of restoring the situation if he is appointed.

The Paramedical unions could not be contacted for comment at the time.

Presidential committee on A/L results mess up appointed

December 30, 2011, 9:18 pm , The Island.

By Nilantha Madurawala

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday appointed a five-member committee to look into the GCE (Advanced Level) results mess-up.

The committee comprises Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology Dhara Wijethilake, Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo Kshenika Hirimburegama,Vice Chancellor of the University of Moratuwa Prof Malik Ranasinghe, Vice Chancellor of the Uva Wellassa University Prof Premalal de Silva and Principal of the Royal College Colombo Upali Gunasekera.

The committee is expected to submit its report within 10 days to the President.

Confidence in the Sri Lanka's examinations system lost, academics voice concern

Thu, Dec 29, 2011, 09:20 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.
 
Dec 29, Colombo: University lecturers in Sri Lanka say confidence in the examinations system of the country has been lost following the controversy surrounding the highly competitive GCE Advanced Level results released by the Examinations Department.
President of the Federation of University Teachers' Association (FUTA), Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri has said the government cannot dismiss the issue of releasing wrong A/Level results as a minor issue.
He has observed that it was a grave problem for the students, who have received results that are in the mid-level range.
"It is a dangerous situation if the students begin to lose confidence in the examinations system," Dewasiri has noted.
Referring to the comment, made by Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayaka that the results were released hurriedly due to the President�s intervention, Dewasiri has said it proved the inefficiency and irresponsibility of state institutions.

TNA call for debate regarding A/L results

Dailymirror

Friday, 30 December 2011 10:34 The TNA today called for an immediate parliament debate regarding the current status of the Advance Level results. Speaking to the Daily Mirror TNA MP Suresh Premachandra said that the representative have to be appraised immediately about the current situation . “The government again showed its incompetence in not being able to give in proper results to the students of this country. This isn’t the first time syllabuses have been changed but we never encountered a problem such as this. It is the lives of the Children who are the future of this country that these people are playing with” he said. He went on to point out that the injustice is equal to students of all parts of the country and that immediate remedial measure should be taken.  (H.F)

Cartoon of the day, The Island.

Everyone's passing the ball regarding the A/L fiasco: Thalatha

Thursday, 29 December 2011 21:09, Dailymirror.

UNP Ratnapura District Parliamentarian Thalatha Athulokarala speaking to Daily Mirror online today said that the government is not taking responsibility in the recent debacle regarding the Advanced Level results.

"Who is responsible for this mess? No one knows because all those in power keep passing the buck on each other, it is the lives of the children these people are playing with. I have been a part of this system and we know what a lot of hard work goes into this exam, it is the one most defining moment in a child's life and this government made a mess of it," she said.

Athulokarala went on to point out that children had utmost faith in the system and that has eroded due to the negligence of the authorities."The children have throughout the years kept their fate in the hands of those in power to give them results that were fair, but today that faith has been lost, the confidence that a child, parent and the public at large have towards the government has eroded, it's one of the most pathetic instances of total government failure," she said.

The UNP reformist group MP went on to ask as to why over hundred thousand children should pay for the mistakes of a few. "Why should the children suffer? they are the future of our country and the actions of the few of those who can't do their job properly has made all of these children suffer," she said. (Hafeel Farisz)

Govt. should re-process A/L results: Movement

• 30 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
• BY YOHAN PERERA

The National Movement to Protect Free Education (NMPFE) yesterday called for the complete re-processing of GCE A/L results in order to do justice to the affected students.
NMPFE Convener Ven Dhamaba Amila Thera told a news conference yesterday that the education authorities should accept the responsibility humbly and see that the results are re-processed as errors had occurred when feeding the data into computers. He however said that no errors could have occurred during the marking of papers as they were done under the guidance of academics.

The Ven Thera said that the students that sat for the examinations and their parents had lost faith in the Department of Examination because of these unacceptable results. He also charged that there was a connection between this crisis and the government’s plan to set up private universities.
Coming up with several examples of confusing results put out by the Department the Thera said that a students whose Z score had been 0.9942 had been ranked first while another students whose Z score had been 1.1834 had been ranked 978.

KELANIYA UNIVERSITY STUDENTS STAGE SATYAGRAHA

• 30 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
• BY LAL S. KUMARA

We have only held a reception to welcome the new students over which the administration held a disciplinary enquiry

The Kelaniya University students Union staged a styagraha in front of the university yesterday morning against what they called the arbitrary suspension of studentship of 13 students of the University.

The conveyor of the Union, Janaka Bandara who joined the protest said the suspension of the 13 students is baseless and arbitrary. “We have only held a reception to welcome the new students over which the administration held a disciplinary enquiry. Later on, only some of the students were released from the inquiry. Besides, studentship was suspended of 2 students who protested over the hostel issue,” he said.
He said that if the university administration does not withdraw the suspension of the 13 students they would be compelled to engage in a severe protest with the assistance of all the students’ unions, non academic staff and the university teachers.

Suspend results and then probe: CTU

• 30 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

The Ceylon Teachers Union yesterday said that appointing a committee to inquire into the recently released A/L results, was meaningless without the suspension of results. Union Secretary Joseph Stalin in a statement said, “The people have experienced several situations where committees had been appointed in the past whenever a decisive issue surfaces in the country, and these are aimed at suppressing the issues and in other words a delaying tactic. In a situation, of this nature at an examination which decides the future of children, the irresponsible manner in which the authorities had discharged their primary duties is a grave concern and the appointment of such committees would not bring in any tangible results.”

He therefore insisted on suspending the results in its entirety and review them, before appointing the committee. This would dispel fears or suspicions the people have about examinations and results, he said.

Cancel A/L results, urges Sajith

• 30 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

UNP Deputy Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday urged the education authorities to cancel the GCE advanced level examination results and subject all answer scripts to a process of re correction to ensure justice to the students who had been affected by the errors in results. Mr. Premadasa in a statement said this was essential so that the children who sat for the examination could plan their future effectively. The UNP Deputy Leader said education authorities including the Minister and the Commissioner General of Examinations should take the responsibility for this blunder.
“One cannot take this lightly as serious blunders have taken place when preparing results,” he said. He cited an example where a student from the science stream had been given grades for arts subjects.

He said everything including district rankings and Z score had been messed up this year putting the children in a difficulty. Mr. Premadasa charged that this came as a result of holding the GCE A level examination to suit a political agenda.
He also took the education authorities to task for extending the term of the present Commissioner of Examinations recently though his term ended two months ago.