Lecturers to boycott Peradeniya Convocation

May 13, 2013, 10:22 pm


by Dasun Edirisinghe, the island

Peradeniya academics have decided to boycott their university’s annual convocation in protest against the participation of Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake as the chief guest and the appointment of a deputy vice Chancellor on the basis of his political allegiance.

A spokesman for the Federation of Peradeniya University Teachers’ Associations (FPUTA), speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the university administration had not yet announced that Minister Dissanayake would be the chief guest, but security and other VIP arrangements were being put in place.

"The Peradeniya University traditionally does not invite politicians to participate in its annual convocations," he said.

The next Convocation is scheduled to be held on May 30 with the participation of 3,200 students from eight faculties.

FPUTA President Dr. Madhawa Meegaskumbura said that their intention was not to sabotage the most memorable event in the lives of undergraduates, but the FPUTA had been constrained to take such a decision as the university administration had not heeded their protests against the manner in which the Deputy Vice Chancellor had been appointed.

He said that as a mark of protest they had already vacated the volunteer posts they held, but neither the university administration nor the higher education ministry had given them a chance to discuss and resolve the matter.

"There are nearly 1,400 lecturers in the university," Dr. Meegaskumbura said, adding that of them nearly 1,000 lecturers, who are on the permanent cadre would not attend the Convocation.

 

Deterioration of autonomy and academic freedom in the university system – FUTA press release

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FUTA won’t join strike against power tariff hike

May 13, 2013, 10:19 pm

by Dasun Edirisinghe, the island

 The Federation of University Teachers (FUTA) will not take part in the strike the Co–ordination Committee of the Trade Union Alliance (CCTUA) will hold on May 21 against the electricity tariff increases, The Island learns. It has, however, pledged solidarity with CCTUA.

FUTA sources said yesterday that university teachers were not in a position take part in the planned trade union action because of their 100–day–long strike last year over several demands.

Sources said that academic calendar of universities including examinations, was postponed by several months due to their previous year’s strike to pressure the government to allocate six per cent of the GDP for the education sector, protect free education and grant university dons a pay hike.

"We cannot disrupt the academic programmes of undergraduates," a senior academic said.

He said however they would give their full support to the scheduled strike as the electricity tariff hike was unbearable for ordinary people. The matter is to be widely discussed at the FUTA executive committee meeting today, he said.

A joint token strike would be staged in the public, private and estate sectors against the recent electricity tariff hike on May 21 as scheduled, CCTUA co–convener Wasantha Samarasinghe said.

The former JVP MP said that nearly 600 trade unions and opposition political parties, including the UNP and JVP, had already expressed their support for the token strike.

The key trade unions that will take part in the May 21 strike are National Trade Union Centre (NTUC), Jathika Sevaka Sangamaya (JSS), Postal and Telecommunication Officers’ Union, All Ceylon Trade Union Federation, Free Trade Zones and General Services Employees Union, Lanka National Estate Workers Union, Ceylon Teachers’ Service Union, All Ceylon Estate Workers’ Union, Public Service National Trade Union Federation, Eksath Kamkaru Sammelanaya, Inter University Employees’ Union.

FUTA resents ‘politically motivated sacking’

May 12, 2013, 9:56 pm


by Dasun Edirisinghe, The Island

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) is up in arms against the sacking of a probationary lecturer of the Sri Jayewardenepura University, which they claimed was politically motivated.

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that the Council of the Sri Jayewardenepura University had decided on Thursday to sack probationary lecturer Anuruddha Pradeep as he had not completed his masters examinations.

Dr. Dewasiri said that Pradeep had been working at the Political Science Department of the University for the last eight years.

"According to the law, probationary lecturers would have to complete the masters within eight years, but it has not happened," he said, adding that the sacking was totally due to political reasons as Pradeep has been critical of Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake’s policies.

Dr. Dewasiris, however, said if a probationary lecturer did not complete the masters within eight years they would first be made temporary lecturers, but the Jayewardenepura administration had decided to sack Pradeep straightaway.

Dr. Dewasiri said that a current Vice Chancellor of a university had not completed his masters for nearly 15 years, but the respective university had not sacked him. As a result he had become a Vice Chancellor. He said two months ago, the Sri Jayewardenepura administration had also sacked senior Professors Senevi Epitawaththa and Jinadasa Katupotha, just eight months prior to their retirement.

This was another unique example of politicising state universities under the present higher education minister, Dr. Dewasiri said.

"FUTA executive committee would meet this week to decide on a course of action against this political victimization," Dr. Dewasiri said.

When contacted by The Island, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne denied accusations that the ministry was involved in removing university lecturers.

He said that if such things happened it was totally up to the university council and the ministry would not get involved in University Council decisions.

The Island made several unsuccessful attempts to contact Vice Chancellor of the Jayawardenepura University Prof. N. L. A. Karunaratne.

10th Batch of BIT Graduates of University of Colombo

May 11, 2013, 6:50 pm , The SundayIsland

The 10th Convocation of the University of Colombo BIT Degree was held at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) recently together with the Diploma and Higher Diploma awards ceremonies. The convocation was presided by the Chancellor of the Colombo University, Rt. Dev. Dr. Oswald Gomis.

Director, University of Colombo School of Computing (UCSC) Professor Gihan Wikramanayake, speaking at the Diploma Awards ceremony said, "During the past decade, the BIT External Degree of the University of Colombo provided a great boost for the ICT human resource development in Sri Lanka and this year a record number have graduated.

"Since launching the BIT External Degree in the year 2000, we have contributed over 1,200 BIT graduates to the ICT industry. They are a big strength to the country’s ICT industry. The BIT Degree of the Colombo University has reached a high level of popularity among the students attracting over 2,000 annually. The BIT programme which consists of a Diploma and Higher Diploma has helped to standardize the entry level qualifications to the ICT industry", he said.

At this year’s convocation, 172 students who had successfully completed the UCSC BIT Degree received their degree certificates while 654 and 262 received Diploma and Higher Diploma certificates, respectively.

Colombo University annually bestows the Professor V. K. Samaranayake Commemorative Gold Medal, created to commemorate the late founder of the UCSC, on the student who achieves Batch Top status. This year, it was bagged by Ms. B. A. Ratnayake, who achieved this honor with a First Class BIT Degree.

37 Peradeniya undergrads to be suspended?

May 11, 2013, 6:43 pm

By Cyril Wimalasurendre, The SundayIsland

Thirty seven senior undergraduates of the University of Peradeniya have been identified and listed for suspension on charges of ragging freshers.

However, action to be initiated against them will be determined by the deans of the faculties they belong to, a university official said last week.

The decision to entrust the respective deans of the faculties to report whether the suspected undergraduates be suspended or not was taken following a lengthy discussion between the representatives of the students’ union and the university authorities.

The 37 senior undergraduates have been identified and were recommended to be punished by suspension by a professor of the university. The suspected undergraduates are from the faculties of arts, veterinary science and science, he said.

At the discussion between the students’ unions and university authorities inclusive of the deans of faculties on Friday (10) afternoon, a decision was taken to allocate two university bungalows for residential facilities for undergraduates, which was one of the demands of the students unions, he said.

University crisis gets worse, shortage of lecturers - Ruwan

May 10, 2013, 10:15 pm


By Zacki Jabbar, The Island

The UNP said yesterday that the youth had been given a raw deal with the university crisis getting worse due to a shortage of lecturers and lack of hostel facilities.

Gampaha District UNP MP Ruwan Wijewardene said that the Uva Wellassa University did not have sufficient lecturers and around 500 students at the Colombo Campus had been deprived of hostel facilities.

The Sri Jayewardenepura University was faced with a different crisis with the Vice Chancellor suspending some students on false allegations, he noted.

The MP said that the ‘Mahinda Chintana’ had pledged a better future for the youth, but a large number of them had already left the country due to an acute unemployment problem, which was getting worse by the day.

Young men and women, Wijewardena observed had migrated to countries such as Australia and Italy, since they were unable to exist on meagre salaries that they drew here.

The UNP Youth Front had attracted many new members and the recent Youth May Day rally in Badulla was a testimony to their enthusiasm to join the UNP, Wijewardene said.

FUTA ready to blow the whistle on backdoor entrants

May 10, 2013, 10:51 pm , The Island


by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) yesterday said that they were ready to announce a list of political appointees in universities and the University Grants Commission (UGC).

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that the university system had been highly politicized during the past four years.

Dr. Dewasiri alleged that appointments of Peradeniya Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor served as examples.

The senior academic said that the FUTA would launch a struggle against the politicisation of universities and expose those political appointees.

"This is one reason for the brain drain," Dr. Dewasiri said, adding that those who went abroad did not come back as they were frustrated due to what was happening in national universities where the deserving academics were denied promotions."

The FUTA chief said that however they asked the UGC to announce the names of those who were overstaying abroad after going for higher studies on government scholarships. He said they had to be dealt with according to the law.

Dr. Dewasiri said that the UGC should recover the funds expended on them for violating the bond between the university and the academics entered prior to going abroad.

Over 1,200 vacancies in universities for foreigners -SB

May 8, 2013, 10:35 pm , The Island

There were 1,292 vacancies existing for the foreign applicants to follow courses in the local universities, a document tabled in Parliament yesterday, by the Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake said.

The document says that there is a 0.5 allocation for the foreign undergraduates in the local universities. As no foreign students or the children of Lankans living abroad have applied for any other course of study, except for medical degrees, there are 1,292 vacancies.

There are 41 vacancies for the medical sciences, three vacancies for the dental surgical sciences, 62 vacancies for engineering sciences, 57 vacancies for bio sciences and 11 vacancies for computer sciences, the document says. (SI)

Dons tell Higher Education Ministry to drop fee paying students

May 7, 2013, 9:27 pm , The Island


by Dasun Edirisinghe

 In the wake of Faculty Board refusing to admit nine fee paying students to the Peradeniya Medical Faculty, lecturers have asked the Higher Education Ministry to stop the controversial move and ensure that students are admitted only in keeping with the University Grants Commission criteria.

Addressing a media conference at the Colombo University Faculty Club, President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations, Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that the government had already planned to admit fee paying students, not only to the Peradeniya University, but also to the Rajarata Medical Faculty.

"The Higher Education Ministry plans to admit nine students to the Rajarata Medical Faculty," he said.

Dr. Dewasiri said that the Higher Education Ministry increased the foreign student admission quota, from 0.5 per cent to 5 per cent, to Sri Lankan universities recently. The higher education ministry planned to admit those students to Sri Lankan universities under the admission of students with foreign qualifications for the undergraduate courses.

According to a letter issued by the UGC it had made these selections based on: (A) children of Sri Lankan diplomatic personnel who are/have been stationed in other countries (B) children of foreign diplomatic personnel working in Sri Lanka (C) Applicants from SAARC countries who seek admission on self-financing basis (D) Sri Lankan applicants not covered under A (E) other foreign applicants not covered under B or C.

Dr. Dewasiri said that according to the UGC, any local or foreign student could be admitted to a state university in Sri Lanka and obtain the degree by paying fees.

The senior academic said that eight students out of ten, sent to the Peradeniya Medical Faculty, have Sri Lankan citizenship. The other two students are of Sri Lankan origin but Canadian and New Zealand citizens.

"This is opening the gate to privatising of state education," Dr. Dewasiri said adding that the annual cost of the degree, also included in the letter, was US$ 12,000 for medicine, US$ 10,000 for Para Medical courses, US$ 8,000 for Engineering courses, US$ 6,000 for Agriculture courses, US$ 5,000 for law, US$ 4,000 for Management and Commerce, US$ 3,000 for humanities and social sciences courses.

Dr. Jayantha Rajaratne of the Peradeniya Medical Faculty said that the university sent a vehicle to the Bandaranaike International Airport to pick up two of the fee paying students.

He said that the university administration did not provide vehicles to go to the airport when an academic went abroad for research work, but sent vehicles for pick up fee paying students from the airport.

Dr. Rajaratne said that the faculty board was not aware of those students until they came for registration.

"Normally, if foreign qualified students sent their applications to the UGC, they must be forwarded to the faculty board for relevant decision," he said adding that they did not even submit their qualifications.