FUTA Will Courageously Defend The Rights Of The People

By Dr. Mahim Mendis, The Sunday Leader

The members of the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) appeal to the people to express solidarity with their national level trade union struggle demanding for 6% of the GDP on education since we need to protect state education and also collectively provide vital checks and balances to the process of governance in Sri Lanka. Academics need to ensure that public policy formulation in all sectors, not just education, will be influenced by them with their strong academic credentials. Also academics together with the clergy and other civil and political society leaders have a strong mandate to enlighten the people on all matters.

This we did convincingly through our historic public meeting at Hyde Park on 23rd August 2012, with eminent members of the trade union movement like Bala Tampoe and Most Venerable Madhuluwawe Sobhitha Thero addressing the people. FUTA watchers including those of the NIB know quite well about our capacity to mobilize people with short notice whether it be in Colombo, Rajarata, Jaffna or in Ruhuna. They also know that we cannot be silenced since top FUTA leaders are well known to millions of people here and abroad.

We of the FUTA believe that the onus is equally on the citizenry to hold their governments responsible for irresponsible utterances and actions of ministers and public officials. Ironically, it has now come to a stage where the people need to plead with those whom they elected that they be responsible as their humble servants. In Sri Lanka, the ‘Servants’ have become the ‘Masters’ and such a topsy-turvy situation needs to be reversed today and not tomorrow.

As stated by Bernard Shaw, “the people get the government they deserve”, and we know that the people do not deserve a political regime with a near total absence of democratic accountability whether it be on elections, rule of law and administration of justice, ethno-political crisis and the LLRC Recommendations, Human Rights, Petroleum, Power and Energy, Public Health or Education. On all these frontiers, international benchmarks have totally collapsed and you cannot be silent any more. No amount of Presidential Commissions will solve these problems either!!!

The academics of Sri Lanka have watched with extreme patience as to how the politicians as servants of the people behave by shamelessly prostituting the will of the people, crossing over from one side to another, proving abundantly to their masters, the people, that they do not care a damn for what the people think. They probably believe that they are sure of winning elections even by taking into custody the chief presidential candidate before the first proper electoral results are released. They also believe that current cabinet ministers should tie people to trees to discipline them as done by eminent Dr Mervyn De Silva, a topmost minister with international credentials.

The FUTA has proved to the people that Sri Lankan academics are not a docile community and will not allow this country to perish in broad daylight. We can only appeal to the President, in the way we would appeal to any leader in the future to be careful of those in government ranks who do not even respect the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka.

To get back to the ongoing struggle of the FUTA, all what I need to state with an absolute seriousness of purpose is that we consider it our bounden duty towards the people of Sri Lanka to commit the government to the UN benchmarks on education. The Minister of Higher Education probably believes that we are now a part of an international conspiracy to display this benchmark of ‘6% of GDP on FUTA T-Shirts!!!’ Such is the level of thinking of these ministers at the helm, bringing shame to the President habitually and on a daily basis. After all it is not so long ago that they protested against the United Nations Organization with cabinet ministers fasting unto death in the UN compound, making the people of this country, an international laughing stock.

The FUTA struggle demonstra-tes that academics cannot be satisfied with 99% literacy at primary level of education, that Minister Bandula Gunawardene boasts abo-ut, and that too with half of the schools without proper lavatory facilities. We need to remind the President and the Cabinet of Ministers, that mere primary level literacy is absolutely inadequate to civilize the people, including those who wish to be politicians and academics.

Primary level literacy is mere ability to read and write letters and numbers,without putting the ‘thumb mark’ as a person’signature. Secondary level literacy is the ability to reproduce knowledge which has only reached a little more than half of the population. But academics are concerned about what would happen to this beautiful land of their birth if tertiary level literacy remains so low with approximately 15%. That number comes only when university education is combined with technical and vocational education, as pointed out by many. University education is university education and we look to the day the vast majority of people will graduate from universities, to indicate that we have a rational citizenry with independent thinking. Not Traitors and Patriots.

With primary level literacy we cannot prevent elected members from prostituting the will of the people either. Also, 90% literacy at primary level is not the achievement of the present regime and this was there when the minister himself was a student.

All what his ministry has done is to close down the schools that existed many years ago and mess up the entire education system including the examinations as seen in Z-Score Fiasco. This same minister claimed in Parliament this month that we are still better than the British Education System with regard to examination evaluations. So how can the Z-Score be a problem to this government?

Tertiary level literacy which is University Degree Level and above, enables a person to critically understand a message that is disseminated and provide an intellectual perspective of ones own.

It is for this that the country should be able to attract the best qualified men and women to serve the universities; a task that has become humanly impossible without internationally competitive salaries for those with top academic credentials. This is a demand that we made last year. In accepting an Interim Solution in July 2011, we only wanted the government to respect the recommendations on salaries made by their own Malik Ranasinghe and Jiffrey Committee in 2008. So, it is meaningless telling the people that we have been given 80% increase in salaries since their own benchmark is yet to be implemented while interim understandings have been blatantly disregarded.

This waste of time will further aggravate Brain Drain, leading to a total collapse of the educational and moral oder. Highways and harbours or no amount of economic development will make a country developed if the people remain ignorant and in chains. The work of Indian Nobel Laureate and Harvard Economist Amartya Sen should be read by those in government if economists in Sri Lanka are not taken seriously by this government.

It is not surprising that the political leadership at different levels cannot distinguish the difference between good and evil, with an ‘anything goes’ attitude.

In this country, those alleged to have committed multiple murders are allowed to go free, if they say they have forgotten all what happened, since those in government probably have no understanding of good and evil. If we point out what is evil, we would be treated as traitors in line with the dominant ideology.

The government should realize that there is no international conspiracy when we talk about our principal demand which is the UNESCO Benchmark of 6% of the GDP on education.

Also they should realize that if international benchmarks created by the United Nations are made a mockery, not only with regard to education, but also with regard to fundamental instruments such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we certainly would mobilize all local, international and even extra-terrestrial forces to safeguard the future of this country. This is because, for academics the future direction of the Sri Lankan state is more important than the future of the present government or a future government.

Let all people unite in meeting the demands of the academic community, not only with regard to education but also in creating a just social, political, economic, cultural and moral order as stated clearly by the courageous monk, Venerable Madhuluwawe Sobhitha Thero in addressing thousands of people in pouring rain at Hyde Park Rally.

* Undergraduates in Sri Lanka threaten legal action against striking university lecturers

Fri, Aug 24, 2012, 11:06 am SL Time, ColomboPage News Desk, Sri Lanka.

Aug 24, Colombo: A group of undergraduates in Sri Lanka have threatened to take legal action against the striking university lecturers.
The undergraduates of the University Independent Conversion Movement (UICM) claim that the Federation of University Teachers' Association (FUTA) is responsible for the closure of universities and their trade union action is politically motivated.
Convener of the movement, Yukthi Ekadeera noted that the university lecturers' strike that began on July 04 has continued for over 50 days and the closure of universities has prevented students engaged in projects and independent studies to continue.
He added that the students don't have any access to the university facilities.
The government Wednesday ordered to close all the universities except the medical faculties in the country until further notice.
However, he noted that the students wanted the lecturers to receive a decent salary, but did not agree the manner in which they are trying to win their demands.
According to Ekadheera, legal action would be taken against the lecturers by undergraduates if universities are not reopened by next week.

Editorial

 

 

Dons punching above their weight

August 24, 2012, 7:55 pm , The Island

Thousands of striking university teachers, accompanied by their well-wishers, trade unionists and Opposition activists, thronged the streets of Colombo on Thursday, braving as they did inclement weather to pressure the government to be amenable to their demands. They held a highly successful rally at Hyde Park and dispersed peacefully. Their message has been loud and clear: the strike will continue until their demands are met!

The Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA) is punching above its weight. It has effectively silenced its critics who underestimated its strength and doubted its ability to hold a successful public rally. Emboldened by Thursday's show of strength, the striking dons may now seek to negotiate with the government from a position of strength.

Pro-government propagandists are peddling an argument that university lecturers should not take to the streets to win their demands. True, ideally, they should not. We do not think they enjoy what they are doing. Who wants to get drenched to the skin in thunderstorms or keep standing in the scorching sun? They would have been more than happy to remain indoors and fire strongly worded letters at the Higher Education Ministry. In fact, they had done so several times and even held a number of discussions with the government in vain before resorting to public protests. So, they cannot be blamed for their marches and rallies, we reckon.

Madness is said to be doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. FUTA members have proved their sanity, so to speak, by changing their modus operandi to win their demands. The fact that the university teachers' trade union action has spilled over into the streets is a damning indictment on the government, which has, as is common knowledge, provoked the strikers to adopt unorthodox methods. Had the government made a genuine effort to solve their problems, there would have been no need for them to hold public rallies.

The government's reaction to the FUTA rally is not yet known but it is not difficult to predict. Politicians and bureaucrats involved in negotiations with the striking lecturers are likely to harden their position. The government's war mentality has not gone away yet and it is apparently relying more on brawn than brain in dealing with FUTA. Power not only corrupts but also intoxicates politicians. Like some types of illicit brew it tends to cause blindness. That is why the ruling party potentates intoxicated with power are blind to reality. The cure is an electoral shock. The bigger, the better! When kicked out of power politicians begin to see.

The government has made a huge mistake. It has, thanks to its arrogance and obduracy, provided another rallying point for the scattered Oppositional forces by driving university teachers to conduct street protests.

In the late 1980s, universities remained more closed than open due to southern terrorism which plunged the country into a blood bath. Today, they have been closed indefinitely owing to the government's arrogance. Ultra radical elements bent on disrupting universities must be laughing up their sleeve.

While the government remains determined not to give in to pressure from FUTA, bankrupt political elements with no prospects of making a comeback under their own steam must be hoping and praying that the university dispute will drag on indefinitely so that they could ride piggyback on striking dons to gain some mileage. The vast majority of people, we believe, do not want the government and the university teachers to continue this battle. They want the universities to reopen without further delay and function smoothly in a trouble free environment.

It is imperative that the government and FUTA sit down and negotiate until a solution is found.

Cartoon of the day, The Island

Colombo Medical Faculty teachers in token strike on Monday

August 24, 2012, 9:47 pm , The Island

The Colombo Faculty of Medicine Teachers Association yesterday decided to stage a token strike on Monday over the failure of authorities to find a solution to the current trade union action by FUTA now nearing two months.

Following is the text of a media release issued by FMTA President Prof. Ravindra Fernando in this connection:

"Faculty of Medicine Teachers Association held a special general meeting today ( 23.08.2012) to discuss the recent development within the university system with regard to the trade union action taken by the Federation of University Teachers Association (FUTA). The membership noted with regret the unsatisfactory way in which this matter has been dealt by the relevant authorities and expressed their displeasure on closure of the universities.

"The FMTA felt that this national issue should be addressed and solved promptly to avoid a crisis situation. The trade union action taken by the FUTA has gone on for almost 2 months but no real effort has been put to resolve this matter yet. The FMTA Colombo feel that the relevant authorities should consider this as an important national issue and try to reach for an amicable solution for the demands put forward by the FUTA. The closure of universities is not the proper solution for this problem. It is genuine and proper dialogue between the two relevant parties which will help to solve this issue.

"Therefore as a mark of protest against the failure of relevant authorities to solve this matter the FMTA Colombo at the special general meeting today (23/08/2012) decided to go on a token strike on 27th August 2012. As a result the academic staff of the Medical Faculty Colombo will refrain from conducting any routine teaching activities on this day."

Malwatte prelate wants FUTA issue resolved through dialogue

August 24, 2012, 9:47 pm


By Cyril Wimalasurendre, The Island

KANDY – Most Venerable Mahanayake of Malwatte Chapter Tibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thera stressed that the strike by the university teachers should be resolved through dialogue by a team including intellectuals. But at any cost the free education of the country should be perfected.

The Mahanayaka Thera made this remark when the Deputy Minister of Higher Education Nandimithra Ekanayaka called on him on Thursday afternoon to brief the prelate on the issue with the university teachers.

The Mahanayake cautioned that free education might be threatened by the opening of the private universities should be protected.

The facilities as well as the standard of education in the network of universities in the country should be raised, the Thera said

"It is not the revenue that is important. Admission of foreign students into the universities to be opened by the private sector should not be with the motive of foreign exchange," the prelate said.

He said tourism in the country was given priority, but there were instances where culture and values were destroyed. The coastal region and Hikkaduwa, in particular, had become sites of ill fame with the increase of tourist arrivals. There was a photograph of a foreigner embracing the image of the Buddha.

Deputy Minister of Higher Education Nandimithra Ekanayaka told the prelate that free education of the country would be protected at all costs.

Admission of foreign students to universities was a common practice in many countries, he said adding that the local students who could not get admission to State universities could enter the private universities and receive the degrees at a lower cost than from foreign universities.

Many students would be offered scholarships, he said.

The universities teachers who were on strike were hampering the education of the student population in the country’s universities, he charged.

The Deputy Minister said the university teachers were paid high salariesand cannot be raised as there was an accepted procedure for increasing salaries.

The Deputy Minister said the many demands put forward by university teachers had been resolved except the demand for the salary increase.

Thirteen universities were closed but not the Medical Faculties. Medical students did not join the students in other faculties to interrupt their own education. The universities were closed to prevent causing damage to property as well as prevent the students being drawn into disastrous activities as was done in 1971 and 1988, he added.

Educational facilities and hidden costs of  inequitable distribution

The Care of Children - 5

August 23, 2012, 7:23 pm , The Island


Significantly, I am rarely told about shortages of teachers for computing, but this does not mean that they are available. This was brought home to me graphically when I was discussing plans for use of some of my decentralized budget for education in Rideegama in Kurunagala. While I have over the last few years used part of the budget in the North, for entrepreneurship training for former combatants and this year for Vocational Training in Mullaitivu, and the rest in Ratnapura, where we concentrated on school education and English, I thought I should also more further afield, given that the Liberal Party has a couple of Pradeshiya Sabha members in Rideegama.

By Prof. Rajiva Wijesinha

I have been deeply upset in recent months, at meetings of Divisional Secretariat Reconciliation Committee meetings in the North, at the continuing failure to address the problem of teacher shortages in key subjects. While there is heartening appreciation of the rebuilding of schools, at much better levels than ever before, I am constantly told that there are insufficient teachers for English and Maths and Science. Of course I know this is a problem elsewhere in the country too, but that is no excuse. Given that it is those in rural communities who suffer most, I can only hope that those concerned with basic rights will at some stage institute legal action to ensure equity in education, and force government to look at alternative systems of teacher training and teacher supply, instead of sticking with the statist centralized model that has so signally failed for so long.

Significantly, I am rarely told about shortages of teachers for computing, but this does not mean that they are available. This was brought home to me graphically when I was discussing plans for use of some of my decentralized budget for education in Rideegama in Kurunagala. While I have over the last few years used part of the budget in the North, for entrepreneurship training for former combatants and this year for Vocational Training in Mullaitivu, and the rest in Ratnapura, where we concentrated on school education and English, I thought I should also more further afield, given that the Liberal Party has a couple of Pradeshiya Sabha members in Rideegama.

I had wanted to do English classes, and these will now be conducted in three GN divisions, through the Sabaragamuwa English Language Teaching Department, which had done the teacher training in Sabaragamuwa. But to my surprise I was also asked for computer training, in particular for Ordinary Level students, since there are hardly any computer teachers in the schools in the area.

I cannot believe this is true, and I am sure there is some exaggeration involved. But if this is the perception, then clearly there must be shortages, suggesting that the effort to enhance opportunities for all our children will come to naught. Ironically, I was told about the shortage on the very day that I heard, over the wireless, of a government plan to provide laptops to all school children.

In theory this is a good idea, but I was reminded about what my father told me about the ambitions of all Members of Parliament, first to become Ministers, and then to get Ministries which involve procurement. I don’t think this is entirely fair, because my experience is that, where commissions are involved in procurement, it is often not the Minister who benefits but various officials. But it is a pity that Ministers promote such projects, and make much of distribution of such equipment, when they should realize that the development of human resources is much more important than supplying equipment that may lie unused for lack of training in its use.

Unfortunately, when statistics are compiled about what has been done, it is much easier to record tangible benefits. These are of course vital, and the need for adequate infrastructure in areas that have been neglected is obvious. But in concentrating on these we sometimes miss the need for ensuring human development too.

One reason for this is that, at the higher levels at which monitoring is done, counting up constructions is much easier. Counting what has been done in terms of training requires monitoring at much lower levels, and that happens rarely.

It is for this reason that, at the Divisional meetings, we have suggested regular consultations that will assess local situations. Parents must be encouraged to note teacher shortages and deficiencies in basic facilities such as toilets and water supply and space for playing, and bring these to the attention of those responsible for education in the fullest sense. And responsibility for providing these should be allocated to manageable units, not as happens at present in terms of large educational Zones, where the shortages in rural areas are masked by excess supply in the towns.

I had no idea this happened, but I was told in Cheddikulam in Vavuniya that they could not get sufficient teachers because the Zone as a whole had more than enough. The problem was that they were stationed in Vavuniya, and refused to move to distant areas. I suspect this is true elsewhere in the country too, which is why Rideegama suffers even though Kurunegala is supposed to be relatively well equipped educationally. And one shudders to think of the deprivation in the slum schools of Colombo, with their close neighbours having more than enough of everything.

Unfortunately government does not seem to realize how many problems would be solved if they ensured equity in education, by introducing a school based system of teacher recruitment and monitoring. Now hours of time, and thus money too, is wasted in efforts to get children into prestigious schools, and then transporting them there through lengthy journeys. Given that this results in unwieldy classroom sizes, little teaching is done properly in class, which is why tuition has become essential even for students in prestigious schools. Meanwhile in rural areas students don’t even have teachers who do not teach, which means they have to do without tuition, or else they have to travel miles to urban centres to have at least a hope of getting through public examinations.

Radical reforms are needed, but the vested interests are too strong for this to be possible. I suspect it is only when fundamental rights cases are taken out that we might see some change. But since the plight of rural children is not a fashionable cause, this is unlikely to happen, and we will continue to fight over the few who manage to move on to striking distance of university – even though, as the recent recruitment of a vast number of graduates has made clear, getting into university no longer helps the vast majority with becoming employable.

UGC Chief given time till Sept. 12 to show cause

‘Contempt of Court’:

August 23, 2012, 10:31 pm , The Island

By Chitra Weerarathne

Chairman of the University Grants Commission Professor Gamini Samaranayaka yesterday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court stating that he had tried his best to abide by the Supreme Court order of June 25, 2012, to recalculate the Z-Scores of the GCE Advanced Level Examination of August 2011, and to re-issue the new Z-Score as early as possible. Any delay was unintentional and he regretted any unavoidable delay with due apologies to the Supreme Court, he said.

Prof. Samaranayaka filed answer to a show cause order of the Supreme Court asking why he should not be punished for contempt for delaying to release the new Z-scores which were re-calculated, taking the old syllabus and the new syllabus, as two different populations. The affidavit, by the UGC Chief, said that as directed by the President, a committee of experts had been appointed to see how best the Supreme Court order could be followed.

The affidavit stated, "The committee had decided that once the Z-Scores are recalculated, as directed by the Supreme Court, taking the two syllabuses as different entities, the Z-Scores are to be amalgamated and arranged in descending order to give rise to the set of Z-scores of the GCE Advanced Level Examination held in 2011.

"In accordance with the second direction of the Supreme Court, the Z-Score which was to be released to each particular candidate was that which was extracted from such set of Z-scores of the examination. It was recommended further that the set of Z-scores of the examination so determined was the one that had to be used for admission to universities and other institutions of higher education."

Professor Samaranayaka has stated that by letter dated July 13, 2012, he asked the Commissioner General of Examinations to recalculate the Z-Score as ordered by the Supreme Court and to follow the directions laid down by the committee of experts, in doing the recalculation.

On July 22, 20012, the recalculated, Z-Score of candidates were released with the relevant district and island rankings, by the Commissioner General of Examinations.

Professor Samaranayaka has said that he took steps to implement the Supreme Court order, without unnecessary delay.

Professor Samaranayake has said that the media conference, held after the Supreme Court judgement, to re-issue the Z-Score, had been conducted by the Ministry of Higher Education and not by the University Grants Commission. He had said that he did not make any remarks to insult the dignity of the Supreme Court. Some remarks, attributed to him, were inaccurate.

Prof. Samaranayake was given time till September 12, 2012 to show cause as to why he should not be charged for contempt of Court.

Mrs. Gowri Thavarasa, was the instructing Attorney, who filed this answer by Professor Samaranayake in the Supreme Court Registry yesterday.

 

FUTA vows to continue strike

Mammoth rally in Colombo:

August 23, 2012, 10:07 pm , The Island


by Dasun Edirisinghe

Dr. Dewasiri (Pic by Saman Ranaweera)

Thousands of university teachers, undergraduates and trade unionists marched to the Hyde Park yesterday, accusing the government of turning a blind eye on their grievances.

Lecturers representing all universities in the country participated in yesterday’s protest organized by the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA).

Three marches commenced from the Viharamahadevi Park, the Gamini Hall Junction and Slave Island and protesters converged at Hyde Park, causing heavy traffic congestion.

The police closed all roads leading to the Ibbanwela Junction and there was a heavy police presence around the  venue of FUTA rally, which ended without incident.

University teachers holding placards with slogans such as ‘Save State Education,’ ‘Allocate 6% of the GDP to education,’ and ‘Give immediate solution to the demands of university teachers’ marched peacefully.

Addressing the rally, FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri said that the university teachers had been on a continuous strike since July 04 demanding that 6% of the GDP be allocated for education, university teachers be given a pay hike and consulted when decisions were made on higher education.

"We will not give up our struggle until our demands are met," the FUTA chief said.

Dr. Devasiri said that the striking dons had held several rounds of discussions with government politicians and top bureaucrats but they had ended inconclusively and the university teachers’ problems remained unsolved. He said closing universities was no solution and the real problem had to be addressed and a solution found urgently in the public interest.

FUTA Vice President Ven. Dambara Amila Thera said that the government was splurging billions of rupees on useless projects such as ports, airports and playgrounds to the neglect of vital sectors like education.

In spite of former President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s failings and blunders like her attempt to set up a joint mechanism to share tsunami relief with the LTTE, she had allocated about 3.4% of GDP for education, Amila Thera said, noting that before 2005, when the incumbent President was installed, a higher percentage of GDP had been set aside for education. He said the effort of the striking dons was to protect free education and deserved the unstinted support of the public. He lashed out at the state media for trying to undermine the FUTA and its trade union action by slinging mud at its President Dr. Dewasiri.

Pointing out that the fund allocation for education during the war had been higher than it was at present, the Thera demanded to know why the government could not increase funds for education in peace time.

Senior trade unionists, Bala Tampoe, General Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers Service Union (CTSU) Mahinda Jayasinghe, President of the Inter University Trade Union Joint Committee R. M. Chandrapala, and Dharmasiri Lankapeli of the Free Media Movement also spoke. JVP MPs Vijitha Herath and Sunil Handunnetti, General Sarath Fonseka’s wife Anoma Fonseka, DNA MP Jayantha Ketagoda attended the rally.

No English, ICT for university entrants this year - SB

August 22, 2012, 10:07 pm , The Island

By Saman Indrajith

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake yesterday told Parliament that the English and Information Communication Technology courses conducted for university entrants every year, would not be held this year.

However, the leadership training programme, conducted for them in army camps, would be continued, the Minister said, adding that the new batch of students would be enrolled in October this year.

He said that the crisis situation caused by the Z-score problem had resulted in a situation where the English and ICT compulsory courses for the new university entrants could not be conducted. He said that action would be taken to reopen the universities for academic activities soon. The decision to close universities had been taken after a meeting with Vice Chancellors and deans of universities. Powers had been vested in him by the Universities Act to close those universities by issuing a special gazette notification. That gazette notice had been handed over to the Secretary General of Parliament, he said.

The minister was responding to a question raised by Matara District UNP MP Buddhika Pathirana.