UCG Chief faces contempt charge

Z-score recalculationOrdered to be present in Supreme Court to show cause 

July 19, 2012, 11:09 pm 

By Chitra Weerarathne, the island

The Chairman of the University Grants Commission Prof. Gamini Samaranayake was yesterday directed by the Supreme Court to present himself before Court on Monday, July 23, 2012 to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be instituted against him for not taking any effective and meaningful steps to release the Z-scores of candidates who sat the GCE A/L examination in August 2011, in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment dated June 29, 2012, without any delay.

The Registrar of the Court was directed to inform the Chairman of the UGC to be present, before a Supreme Court Bench comprising the Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, Justice N. G. Amaratunga and Justice K. Sripavan.

Senior State Counsel Nevin Pulle told the Court yesterday that the Commissioner of Examinations had received from the UGC on July 13, 2012, the date and the recent formula for the Z-score, taking the new syllabus and the old syllabus as different populations. He added that the Commissioner General of Examinations had taken the necessary steps and would re-calculate the Z-scores and re-issue the results before July 25, 2012.

In this matter, a motion was filed by a group of students on July 13, 2012 complaining to the Court that there was a delay on the part of the UGC as regards the implementation of the Supreme Court order that the Z-scores be recalculated with the two syllabi taken as two separate populations.

Faiz Mustapha PC, who appeared for the UGC, said that a committee of experts had sat on eleven working days to discuss the recalculation issue of the Z-scores. By July 13, 2012 they had provided the necessary details to the Commissioner General of Examinations.

J. C. Weliamuna, appearing for the petitioner, said that the authorities on June 26, 2012 had held a press conference claiming that there was a doubt as to who should do the recalculation.

Chief Justice: That day should have been spent on the job assigned to them according to the judgment.

Justice K. Sripavan: The judgment is crystal clear that directions were given to the UGC to abide by the Universities Act Section 15 as amended and to commence the work pertaining to the re-issue of fresh Z-scores without delay.

The Bench comprised the Chief Justice Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake, Justice N. G. Amaratunga and Justice K. Sripavan.

The role  of State  universities

July 18, 2012, 12:00 pm , the island

A SAARC writers’ conference was held at the University of Peradeniya on August 25, 2005. I was a third-year student in the English Department at that time. This conference left a permanent mark in me for two reasons. The first reason is tied to the day on which the conference was held. It was the day on which the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar, a politician with brains and a heart and probably the best diplomat the country has ever had, was gunned down. It was a black day in that sense. The second reason is tied to the conference theme, which was "Recognising Commonalities and Celebrating Differences". This conference theme resonated well, I thought, with the role expected of state universities, especially of the social sciences and humanities departments of those universities.

Universities, especially state universities, have a historical legacy of creating and protecting environments conducive to free thinking. They have always been sites of intellectual struggle, struggles aimed at making unheard voices heard. Dissension and criticism have always been the primary principles defining their modus operandi. The constant search for alternatives, a task that universities have historically been endowed with, makes it absolutely necessary to criticise the existing order with a view to creating space for alternative understandings of the realities governing human existence. Universities have always been a platform for dissenting voices. Being the Sri Lankan institutions that have inherited this historical legacy, the Sri Lankan state universities are expected to protect and uphold what the legacy stands for.

Given this historical legacy, the idea that universities are not being "productive", a charge that is increasingly levelled at Sri Lankan state universities, especially at their social sciences and humanities departments, indicates a complete misunderstanding of the role of the state universities. This allegation requires us to revisit the notion of productivity. In the current world order, which is predominantly defined by global capitalism, productivity appears to mean being able to produce immediate and tangible results. This conception of productivity conveniently brands any form of activity that does not produce immediate and tangible results as unproductive. The dominant capitalist mindset fails to understand that universities are engaged in a different kind of productive process, a process that produces ideas. Ideas, by virtue of the fact that they are neither immediate nor tangible, do not fall within the capitalist interpretation of productivity.

The capitalist interpretation of productivity requires universities to focus on developing a selected set of skills in students and producing graduates with a marketable value. It places employability over the critical thinking capacity as the primary virtue of the graduates. It views ideas as useless and dangerous products. It promotes conformity, while demonising dissension, difference, and criticism. In short, it violates almost all the fundamental principles of the concept of ‘university’.

As institutions trapped in the capitalist world order, universities have to empower their students with the necessary skills for them to survive in the market economy. However, this does not mean that the universities should change their trajectory and abandon the important role that history has endowed them with Universities should continue to create space for free thinking, provide platforms for dissenting voices, and establish and uphold criticism as the way to finding alternatives. Their primary focus should continue to be producing intellectuals who can think critically and aim at changing society, rather than producing skilled workers who can only perform a predefined role assigned to them by the system. The ongoing trade union action launched by university lecturers is important mainly because its main aim is to protect and uphold this historic role.

Nandaka Maduranga

Kalugampitiya

Reform of university education

July 18, 2012, 12:00 pm , the island

The Government has been compelled to take notice of the agitation by the University staff. Their demands not only relate to their remuneration but include outlawing private universities. One demand is that the educational budget should be 6 percent of GDP. These learned men should have examined the budget before making such a ludicrous demand. Only 20% of the budget is available for the government to spend at its discretion. The balance 80% is more or less fixed since they go to fund the salaries and pensions of government employees and to pay interest on the National Debt which is escalating beyond any control each year. There are also other demands on the budget like health and subsidies for fertilizer etc. So this demand is not only impossible to implement, but is also not desirable considering the other demands on the budget which are equally important for public welfare.

As far as I know there is no other country in the world which gives completely free university education to all students.  University education allows graduates who qualify to earn much higher incomes than the large majority of the people. Should the majority who are poorer subsidize those who would be well off in 3-4 years time because of university education? I think it is unfair. In other countries university students are required to pay fees but are assisted with student loans which are interest free. These loans are recovered from them after they are employed. Such a scheme should be introduced particularly for the medical and engineering graduates. The students should be given loans which would go as fees to the universities. This will enable the universities to pay higher salaries for the lecturers and university staff. This will enable the university authorities to improve the quality of the university education. This to my mind is perhaps the only way to improve the quality of university education. It is of course not necessary to charge the high level of fees levied by private higher educational institutes.

As for private universities   they should be encouraged by granting them tax free status and legal recognition. We may be able to attract well known foreign universities to establish campuses locally as the universities in Britain did in China (University of Nottingham educates Chinese in English medium). It is only through competition that public sector universities can improve the quality of university education. If the Government does not take bold decisions to levy fees and pay more to university lecturers our universities are doomed. University education has an important role to play in economic development.

R.M.B Senanayake

FUTA strike continues

July 18, 2012, 10:49 pm 

by Dasun Edirisinghe, the island

University teachers were disappointed that Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga had not called them for the third round of discussions, which was earlier scheduled to be held on Monday or Tuesday evening, at the Presidential Secretariat.

President of the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri said that their strike was continuing as the government authorities had failed to address their demands so far.

Dr. Devasiri said that FUTA executive committee decided to boycott the GCE (A/L) paper marking if the government does not provide an acceptable solution to their demands before September.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa proposed to appoint a presidential commission to investigate our problems," he said adding that the FUTA executive committee had rejected that proposal too.

He said that there was no need to appoint new commissions as all relevant officials, including those in the Higher Education Ministry, University Grants Commission, Treasury, Finance Ministry, National Salaries and Cadre Commission and the Presidential Secretary were well aware of their problems as it was a longstanding affair.

The senior academic said that this time they would not end the strike until government provides a permanent solution.

JVP takes up Uni. teachers’ battle

July 18, 2012, 10:25 pm 

By Saman Indrajith, the island

The Higher Education Minister must not allow the ongoing crisis in universities to aggravate further and must take immediate action to find answers for the grievances of university teachers, the JVP demanded in Parliament yesterday.

JVP Parliamentary Group Leader Anura Kumara Dissanayake, making a special statement, said that the university teachers were on a strike with four demands which were reasonable and those demands should be granted to sort out the current crisis situation in universities.

Dissnayake said the first and the foremost demand of the university teachers was for an allocation of six percent of the Gross Domestic Product for education. The government which boasts of converting this county into the Miracle of Asia has been pruning down the allocation for education since 2005. It has been cut down by 50 percent.

The total allocation for education in 2005 was 3.5 percent of the GDP. In 2011 the corresponding figure was 1.86 percent. This had placed the university system in difficulty. The teachers have expressed their willingness to shelve their demand for a pay hike, if the government agrees to increase the GDP allocation for country’s education system, he said.

Their second demand was to stop political influence in the education sector. The recent examples of ministers messing up with the country’s education system could be cited to justify their demand. The education sector must be free of government influence.

The university teachers also demand that they must be consulted in preparing the national policy on education. Any responsible government should do so without waiting till the academics ask them to do so because they are stakeholders in the country’s education and without their contribution no success could be expected in any programme implemented in the education sector, he added.

The fourth demand put forward by the university academics was to provide a solution to their salary problem. Even the higher education minister had once accepted, in this assembly, that the demand for a better salary from the university teachers was reasonable. The country’s university system needs at least 5,800 academics but has only 4,200, a shortage of 1600. Many academics have left the country. Therefore, the onus is on the government to increase the salaries of those who remained here to prevent their following the example set by their colleagues to find greener pastures in foreign universities, the JVPer said.

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake, responding to the issues raised by JVP MP, said that the pay hike demanded by the university teachers was not reasonable at all.

The Minister said that the current salaries being paid to the university teachers were sufficient as they had been given an increment recently.

 University students of Sri Lanka to take legal action against striking teachers
Tue, Jul 17, 2012, 10:29 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 17, Colombo: Inter-university Student Center Convener Asanka Bulegoda says that preliminary steps have been taken to initiate legal action against the university teachers' strike.
Bulegoda points out that the students lost two months and 17 days of academic time due to the previous strike of the university teachers and another 17 days due to the strike by the non-academic university staff.
He argued that the university teachers who should be exemplary people taking students as scapegoats is a wrong move.
The student leader also argued that only a handful of university teachers have done new studies and most of them still teach based on old syllabuses although they were granted a 66.5 percent salary increase this year alone.
The striking university teachers of the Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA) demand the government to grant the salary increase promised by the government in 2008, increase allocations for education up to 6 percent of GDP, free universities from politicization and grant facilities to admit children of the university teachers to the schools.

FMTA supports FUTA campaign

July 17, 2012, 10:29 pm, the island 

The Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Association (FMTA) has thrown its weight behind the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) now on strike to pressure the government to address its grievances.

The FMTA, which is the trade union arm representing the academic staff of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo in a statement issued yesterday said: "FMTA notes with regret, that over the successive years funds allocated for higher education has progressively declined when compared to the rate of inflation and other countries in the region. This has led to a crisis situation, where the universities have had difficulties in retaining good quality academic staff. Inability of the universities to make the working conditions attractive and conducive, has favoured the brain drain of the academic staff.

If we are to take an example from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, two of our lecture theatres and the main building of the Anatomy Department were demolished over four years ago with a view to putting up a more spacious new building which was approved by the University Grants Commission and the cabinet of ministers. Up until now this has not materialized. Our faculty has to conduct over 35 examinations annually. At present, these examinations are conducted using examination halls of other faculties, and private institutions. This has caused enormous inconvenience to the staff and students alike. The communication allowance given to the specialists in the Ministry of Health has not been approved to the university clinical staffs who are in charge of wards providing patient care. It is these types of situations which causes frustration in the academic staff.

As the students have already been affected by recent trade union action by the non-academic staff, the FMTA is presently not planning to take trade union action. However, if the authorities do not take steps to rectify the legitimate grievances of the FUTA, we will be reluctantly compelled to take trade union action."

* Striking university lecturers in Sri Lanka warn of refraining from grading A/Level examination papers
Mon, Jul 16, 2012, 10:46 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

July 16, Colombo: Striking university lecturers in Sri Lanka have warned of refraining from grading GCE Advanced Level examination papers this year if authorities fail to address their demands.
University lecturers are currently engaged in a strike to win several demands including a salary hike.
The Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA) is to hold a discussion with Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunga tomorrow (17) or Wednesday (18) to look at addressing the lecturers' grievances.
According to FUTA Head, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri Weeratunga has agreed to grant an appointment to discuss the issues tomorrow since the previous discussion on the 12th ended inconclusive.
He has added that the university lecturers have decided not to enter into any agreement with the Examination Department A/Level paper grading. According to Dr. Devasiri, university lecturers would be compelled to boycott the A/Level examination process.

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FUTA – Govt talks: Education should get priority

July 15, 2012, 7:51 pm 

by Kumudu Kusum Kumara, the island

The government having taken one whole week to ‘study’ the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations’ (FUTA) proposals for education reforms has come up with one general proposal of setting up a presidential commission to investigate ‘complex issues’ in the higher education sector. While no one would deny the value of an independent presidential commission to examine the ills higher education is afflicted with to come up with a white paper for public discussion as the basis for a higher education reforms bill and a new University Act, FUTA members believe that setting up of a commission cannot resolve the specific issues raised by the FUTA.

 In fact, they believe that the government move is a red herring or a tactic to delay finding solutions to the demands put forth by the FUTA. This lack of faith stems from the public perception that the findings of such commissions are never taken seriously or implemented by the government. The fate that befell the findings of the Udalagama Commission of Inquiry, the Youth Commission report, and the Commissions of inquiry on disappearances etc is a case in point. A senior academic commented that a book could be produced on the topic. This is to say that the general membership of the FUTA will be totally opposed to the idea of a commission at this point merely because it is perceived as a delaying tactic.

 The FUTA position made known, at the meeting, which was spelt out in a separate communiqué issued to its membership  has been that even though there could be issues that warrant the setting up of such a commission, there are many concerns and demands that could be solved outside the purview of a presidential commission. Here, it would be relevant to highlight the other salient points made in the FUTA communiqué. Secretary to the President maintained that the government found it extremely difficult to make budgetary allocations for education especially due to the need to implement the LLRC proposals and it may require the country to adopt stringent measures. The FUTA membership feels that this is another red herring. Secretary to the President  may have referred to the LLRC from his understanding of the issue gained in chairing the committee appointed to implement the proposals. However, the government has so far not come out with a plan for implementing the proposals nor has it identified its financial implications. The position of the FUTA has been that under any condition education should be a top priority and that it should not be considered a burden but an investment in the development of the country. The FUTA members believe that the need to implement the LLRC proposals should not be made an excuse for not increasing government expenditure on education.

 With regard to the government stand on the list of specific demands the Secretary to the President responded that the government needed time for further study and discussion. Response of the Secretary to the President  to a pointed question raised by the FUTA delegation on the government stand on the demands, has been "there is merit in discussing the demands and further discussions should take place to identify those demands that can be implemented immediately." This is an indication that the next round of discussions scheduled for middle of this week will now focus on the demands that can be implemented before the proposed commission is set up.

Low trust

 The FUTA has also stressed that the trust its members have in the government at this moment is at a very low ebb and hence the government should adopt confidence building measure, an indication of which could bring to an end the media campaign carried out by certain players on the government side to vilify the FUTA. An attempt to move courts to force university teachers to go back to work was also mentioned as an option possibly to be adopted by some of those players.

 According to the FUTA communiqué Prof. Ranjith Senaratna, who represented the University Grants Commission (UGC) at the meeting said as an academic he also appreciated that the FUTA had raised many concerns related to overall education and policy. Citing absolute numbers he had claimed that over the past few years funding for universities had increased whereas the academic environment in the universities had deteriorated resulting in poor teaching and research output. He suggested that the FUTA rally its members to commit themselves to improve this situation. However, the rationale behind taking the percentage of the GDP allocated to education adopted by agencies such as the UN and the World Bank cannot be nullified by citing absolute numbers an approach adopted by the Minister of Higher Education as well. The allegation that the academic environment in the Universities has deteriorated has been used in recent times by Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake in his attempt to neutralise university teachers’ resistance to ill-conceived ad-hoc university reforms. The present quality of teaching and research output in Sri Lankan universities is an outcome of its complex historical development emanating from government policies since independence and therefore it has to be analysed properly; it cannot be corrected by means of one sided ad-hoc solutions proposed by the Minister of Higher Education and the UGC.

Enhanced education budget

 What emerges from the current discussion between the government and the FUTA is that the priority the government assigns to education in its budgetary allocations is a matter that requires wide ranging public discussion and cannot be left to politicians, the bureaucracy and technocracy given its crucial importance. Sri Lanka cannot aspire to nation building unless it takes educating its population as one of its top priorities..

 It is the duty of a government to give serious thought to the future of a nation and prepare its policies and allocate national income generated on the basis of collective labour of the masses of people for the benefit of their future generations. A responsible government cannot ignore education of children in the name of infrastructure development.

(The writer is a member of Arts Faculty Teachers’ Association, Colombo University)