Expansion of Sri Lankan university system: Good if properly done

May 15, 2014, 12:00 pm ,

Alexander Hall, Princeton University
by S. Ratnajeevan H. Hoole

Nostalgia as Foreign

Universities Enter

Recently Prof. Gananath Obeyesekere of Princeton University – hailing from times when our students became professors at Princeton, Harvard, Columbia and the like – penned an impassioned nostalgic essay on saving our university system. It is extremely unlikely that Sri Lankan graduates today would reach the heights that these men did. Perhaps his mind was spurred by recent news which I read with as much excitement as trepidation of some 20 foreign universities moving into Sri Lanka soon (Xinhua News, April 23, 2014). The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) already has approval. India’s Manipal, Singapore’s Raffles and Sri Lanka Telecom have sought approval.

Education for the Sake of Education

I am excited because education is for the sake of education. A properly educated citizenry will be alive to what is going on in the rest of the world. It will think, and think critically as well as fairly. It cannot be taken for granted. I cannot understand why those who take children’s education and women’s education as a right suddenly talk about there being no need for university education if there are no jobs for graduates. We surely would not demand guaranteed employment opportunities before a child is schooled. Education at whatever level is to make a wholesome person. Employment though nice to have as a corollary, is indeed secondary. It is said that when western Jews with PhDs migrated to Israel and tended sheep or drove taxis for want of jobs, they did their work innovatively rather than as ordinary others did and brought a lot to the country: development

Value of Language Skills

alongside Subject Skills

A problem with our system, on a scale of 1 to 10, is that we have academics joining the system who are above 9 in their subjects, but below 3 in English. Such academics cannot set an unambiguous exam paper, correspond with an outside scholar, or write a book or their research results for publication in English, today’s language of the academe.

I have had Sri Lankan engineering students doing so well that they are out of the scale in GRE Quantitative IQ scores, but my university has refused me permission to take them because they do not have minimum marks in the verbal section. Such students I know get into programmes in countries where verbal skills are not stressed or into US universities because a faculty member insisted on admission as necessary for his work. Such students do brilliant research and graduate because of supervisor help in writing, but cannot hold a faculty position in the West because of their inability to write. On the other hand, most western academics might be 7 or 8 on both the quantitative and verbal scales. That is enough to succeed. Success needs a balanced profile, good in the subject and the language. One without the other is no good. Good in both is all right; good in one and excellence in the other or excellence in both is better. Horrible even in one, is sure academic death. We in Sri Lanka do not get this.

In the world of work too, a good part besides thinking for decision making, is writing. So long as our graduates stay on in Sri Lanka and write in Tamil or Sinhalese, they can do well. The watershed in English skills in Sri Lanka was in the early 1970s when the essay and précis at the O. Levels gave way to fill in the blanks – that is no training in sentence formation. I see a crisis looming as English language skills collapse more with the retirement of the last few trained in writing in the old O.Levels. Those institutions presently functioning in English – universities, newspapers, the highest courts for example – will need to switch to the vernacular, keeping the country out of touch with the rest of the world. In the 1960s my father had a national newspaper home delivered so that we would read and pick up the language. (The Provincial Edition would arrive at the Jaffna Railway Station by 6 AM and we would have the newspaper at home by 7 AM, in time to read at least the sports pages before school). Today if we relied on that newspaper, the little English we know would go away. We sometimes need to deal with judgments from the highest courts tending to such bad grammar that they are useless because they bear multiple interpretations. In the alternative we would have to rely increasingly on Colombo people to do these top echelon jobs, thereby fracturing the country more.

Teaching in English

The coming of the foreign universities – which necessarily will strictly teach in English – will increase the proportion of Sri Lankans functioning in English and ameliorate the problem. This will address the problem of so called English medium courses where a lot of the lecturing and speaking is in Tamil or Sinhalese. At Peradeniya’s Engineering, a Head taught in Sinhalese and told Tamil students to ask their Sinhalese friends! As such Tamils rarely asked for that department’s attractive specialization. Jaffna now has Sinhalese students and that is a blessing in disguise because lectures have to be completely in English as claimed.

To be sure the universities that are coming are not Cambridge from England, or IIT from India or NUS from Singapore, but relatively mediocre universities that are unable to get students in their own countries – remember, good wares need no advertising. But they will produce people who can be rated 7/7 or even 5/5 in quantitative and verbal skills and can do a better job than one with 9+/3 and cannot do any job. Thinking people must feel as excited as I am that the people of Sri Lanka will have their minds opened up simply through the ability to read international literature.

Plight of Local University Students

The Xinhua report further states "moves by the government to establish private universities have received severe criticism from student unions and university teachers based at public universities who contend state-run universities will be neglected by the government." This is where my trepidation comes in because it is true. During the FUTA strike the government showed an unwillingness to pay PhD holding faculty more reasonable salaries and a readiness to lie. The report goes on to say that "critics fear that once private universities are established, poor but highly talented youth will be limited to public universities where they may not have access to recognized degrees and lucrative jobs." I agree that poor but talented youth will be limited to public universities. But it is not necessarily true their degrees will not be recognized. They can be superior.

As Colonial Secretary J.E. Tennent in his book in the 1850s said, "The knowledge exhibited by the pupils was astonishing and it is no exaggeration to say that in the course of instruction and in the success of the system for communicating it, the collegiate institution of Batticotta [Vaddukoddai] is entitled to rank with many an European University." Batticotta had only cadjan roofs but committed, educated teachers – often 1 or 2 missionaries with locals trained by them.

We need good teachers. The foreign universities usually do not bring their own staff (except 1 or 2 on brief visits) and draw from the state universities. More often than not these local recruits keep their state university jobs for a base salary and are hourly paid as visitors at the foreign university. That is their commitment to the local university which is minimal and any spare time they have for scholarship is diverted to visiting lectures. The problem already in our universities is good staff. The teaching standards of certain lecturers at the new engineering faculty at South Eastern University are said to be hopelessly poor. The new faculty in Jaffna is competing for staff from the same fixed pool. It is obvious that the new universities will attract the few good teachers away from the teacher-starved universities – unless the government changes course.

The contention that the rich will be able to buy education when the poor cannot is true indeed but not correct as an argument. For that is how our society is structured – the rich buy Mercedes Benzes, go on foreign holidays, eat better food and all that while the poor cannot. Why single out education?

Marble buildings or well-paid teachers?

Instead of investing in marble buildings which cost millions and serve mainly for vain opening ceremonies by politicians, the state should pay qualified lecturers market salaries and prohibit outside work. We all love to teach bright students and find it unpleasant to teach incapable students in class who are there because of their ability to pay. Sometimes teaching in not so highly rated universities in the US I have had to water down my courses and pass almost everyone because the assumption is that one who is admitted has an unwritten contract that he has the wherewithal to pass. On the other hand teaching at elite institutions I have sometimes felt that the students are better than I and can take any academic stress I can dish out as tough assignments and exam questions. Teaching becomes a pleasure. In these circumstances, I believe that the good staff in our state universities will not desert their able students just for the nice facilities and posh environment at any new university that might come. It is when the private universities pay a lot more that we will be pressured to move by family considerations. Indeed in the US the best ranked universities are often state universities (like University of California at Berkeley, Michigan and Illinois at Urbana Champaign) that pay a lot more than many private universities and have little interference from the government except in the appointment of trustees. The trustees are truly accomplished and left free to do their work (except when there is a crisis) unlike our council members. The good students combined with well-paid, satisfied, motivated staff will make the universities excellent in the Batticotta model.

The Danger to State Universities:

The Government

The only danger to these universities is from the government. As a moving letter from Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Association, signed by its very brave president, Dr. J.P. Jeyadevan, notes:

• Dean/Arts Prof. Sivanathan, practically the only member of the Council to oppose the recent recruitment as Computer Application Assistants a list of unqualified persons at the behest of a political party [which we know to be the EPDP] that virtually runs the Council, has received death threats.

• Political appointments add another dimension to surveillance and the appearance of threatening posters, as well as favouritism in academic appointments.

• Spying and intrigue inhibit collegiality and the open exchange of ideas. The university is not a safe place for the exercise of freedom of speech, dissent and debate.

• Lecturers are afraid to teach known facts.

• Students are afraid to attend classes.

• Rehabilitated ex-combatants are never allowed to pursue their studies but are continually detained, pressured, and made into informers.

Our students are therefore naturally cynical about a government that ruins our universities and then claims to improve education through private universities. Let the government stop meddling and appoint the best to our universities instead of favourites. Let it fill the Councils with men and women of integrity and let them be free to guide the universities instead of telling them how to vote as government stooges.

State university students, the best of our children, will then get the best education free. The others will have private universities that give them too a valuable training. And students will not riot against private universities and see them as a boon.

Why students succeed or fail

May 15, 2014, 12:00 pm , The Island


By Dr. Douglas M King

There have been volumes of research on this topic by many universities throughout the world, although little if any from universities in Sri Lanka. President Mahinda Rajapaksa is rightly concerned about standards of education in his aspirations to promote Sri Lanka as the Educational Hub of South Asia. However, he must realise that this objective is still far from realisation. The recent statements from the Ministry of Education concerning the poor GCE O/L examination results, especially in maths, science and English, where around 50% of the students failed to make even the simple passing grade, are a cause for concern.

These subjects have been studied daily at school for eleven years plus the many private tuition classes that most students attend. By the time students sit for these examinations an estimated 8% have dropped out and many who did succeed in a passing grade did so only by a few marks. Were these two factors included then the percentage failing would appear even greater.

The downside

All is not gloom and doom since a full analysis of the results would show that some schools in some areas did achieve passes for a sizeable majority of their students, with many obtaining credit passes. Such statistical information indicates that something must be right, at least in those schools, to get such results. The downside of this means that in many other schools the failure rate was far higher than the 50%. Is it that easy to divide schools into "good and bad"? Before the Ministry of Education under the influence of the President makes curriculum changes once again, develops new initiatives, and calls upon even more experts to solve the crisis, it would bode well that some basic research is undertaken. It is surprising that with so many institutes of Higher Education that such analytical research has not been carried out in previous years.

It should be obvious that educational failure can be caused by many different factors and curriculum cannot take all the blame. Not all teachers are either experienced, dedicated, qualified or gifted and these attributes do make a difference however good or poor the curriculum. One size does not fit all students as far as learning styles are concerned, yet even from the early grades all students usually follow the same books and levels with little differentiation within the classroom.

Students’ abilities are distributed according to the normal bell curve with 50% occupying the major middle areas. When the socio-economic factors are taken into account, indications point to far more failure among those in the lower stratum. It is very unlikely that the children of highly educated parents will fail in the key subjects. At the opposite end it would not be unusual for the children of a labourer to score low in the examinations.

Of course, there are always exceptions, but they do not alter these facts. The results also show a difference between urban and rural schools. Again there are some superior rural schools and some inferior urban schools, but in general the best schools achieving the best results are in larger urban areas where a greater number of middle class families reside. Parallel to this is the fact that the best and most experienced teachers, especially in the three key subjects, are to be found in the better urban schools. Many rural schools do not even have sufficient teachers for these subjects, let alone their lack of qualifications or experience.

It has become normal for most students to attend extra tuition classes in these key subjects, and many have been attending them for several years prior to the GCE examination. Since these classes are unregulated there is no quality control and parents mostly are unable to assess their effectiveness, and it could be that the best classes cost more than some parents can afford.

The physical conditions in schools under which students learn are far too often unattractive, but more importantly do not provide a quiet atmosphere for learning. Many classrooms are divided by half walls or no walls and several grades share an open hall. Proper windows are still a luxury in many schools and ceiling fans are not often seen.

The style of teaching has hardly changed despite the technological advances of recent years. Thirty or more students at desks still face a teacher standing or sitting in front of a blackboard (or whiteboard). The major part of the lesson is a one-way communication from teacher to students with the textbook serving as the main resource. Although there has been a gradual improvement in recent years, lessons and test marks still rely heavily on memorising information, and much of this will be forgotten a year or two after the GCE examinations as research has shown.

There is the question of relevancy of the curriculum and how this is accessed in the textbooks. Whilst it is unnecessary for learning to be fun and cannot be enjoyed all the time, it should be satisfying and certainly not boring.

Absenteeism

Absenteeism increases in the upper grades, and the difficulties of actually getting to schools can influence the degree of such absenteeism. Poor transportation, overcrowded buses, students’ adverse health, soiled uniform and continual academic failure all combine to the detriment of learning. In some schools teacher absenteeism for important or unessential reasons can be chronic with no substitute teachers to stand in.

The school year is punctuated by numerous holidays which many teachers extend by adding permissible leave. The 200 school days authorised by the government can easily be reduced to 150 or less when various school activities take precedence over lessons and absenteeism is taken into account. Schools can become impersonal factories for education when they have student populations of several thousand and neither the principal or most of the staff can get to know them.

Unsatisfactory preschools

These are many of the factors that can influence how well or how poorly a child achieves. But, authoritative research shows academic achievement in later years is also influenced during the years of early childhood. There is substantive evidence that more learning takes place in the first five years of life than any other period and this can influence later education.

The quality of both the home environment and that of the preschool that an estimated 85% of children attend is a significant factor for later success. All too often an unsatisfactory preschool is worse than a stimulating home environment. Since the majority of preschools are unregulated and many of the qualifications of the teachers have little worth, thousands of children get a poor start in the educational system. Preschools are taking on the academic curriculum that should only be started in grade one. The fact that parents pay from 500 rupees to five thousand rupees a month for these schools might indicate a qualitative divide.

There is a saying that "nothing succeeds like success" but for some children success is never a part of their lives. A careful examination of all the relevant factors needs to be looked at before deciding on a course of action. Any improvements to the results will be gradual but achieving 85% passes in just a few years as hinted at by the Ministry will be very suspect. Teachers are among the most conservative of professionals and the attitude "I know what I do and I do what I know" will be difficult to change.

The President’s educational goal is achievable in the long run, but will take more than a handful of so-called experts to change the system and attitudes. Only by getting into the schools with unannounced visits to experience the problems, conditions and opinions of teachers and students, will real change be meaningful.

Jaffna University teachers assert right to mourn

May 15, 2014, 9:11 pm

The Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Association has condemned the closure of the university between May 16 and 20, claiming it amounts to intimidation and repression of free discussion on campus, according to an online The Hindu report posted on May 14.

The association says some university professors and student leaders received death threats warning them against holding any commemoration for those who lost their lives during the war, alleging that they were trying to revive the LTTE.

Earlier this month, the registrar of the university had sent out a circular announcing that the university and its hostels will remain closed from May 16 to 20, which coincides with the days that the country’s ethnic conflict ended.

"Why should Tamils speaking of the war be such an explosive issue five years after it ended, a war in which neither side owned a monopoly on terrorism?" the university teachers asked, in a strongly-worded statement titled ‘In the shadow of war and peace on a war-footing’ released on Tuesday. The statement assumes significance for it comes from a group of academics who are not affiliated to any political party, at a time when most people in northern Sri Lanka are hesitating to speak fearing surveillance. The Sri Lankan government has, over the last few months, maintained there was an attempt to revive the LTTE in the island’s Tamil-speaking north. Pointing to the ‘Victory Day’ celebration – to mark the end of the war — to be observed by the Sri Lankan armed forces in Matara, the teachers asked why the Tamils alone were barred from remembering those who died during the war.

"The Tamil people should have the freedom to mourn collectively the untimely death of a large number of members of their community whether or not the dead persons are members of their family," the note said.

"While the Government wants to use the war for political deception, it is only to be expected that its obverse, in the wake of hopelessness and humiliation in being forced to accept the Sinhalisation of their lands and symbols, and the erasure of huge civilian suffering in the latter months of the war, might lead to latent nostalgia for the LTTE – despite the anger against its holding the civilians hostage in the last stages of the war," it said. The only way to deal with such nostalgia is allow people to express themselves freely, and to ensure that the mechanisms of justice function to eradicate, and not to instate impunity, the statement said. When The Hindu earlier spoke to registrar V. Kandeepan on why the university was closed, he cited pending repair work as reason.

University dons to stage token strike on June 03

May 14, 2014, 11:03 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

University teachers are scheduled to stage a token strike on June 03 against the Higher Education Ministry’s failure to provide solutions to their problems based on the agreement they entered into with the ministry in 2012 and the suppression of students.

Executive Committee member of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that the ministry had offered to grant them a research allowance as a solution to salary increments, but it was audited.

"If the research allowance is part of the salary how can it be audited?," he asked.

Dr. Dewasiri said that they had raised the issue at a meeting with officials of the Higher Education Ministry and University Grants Commission (UGC), where it was agreed that the research allowance should not be audited, but that promise had not been honoured.

The senior academic said at several universities like Sri Jayewardenepura and Rajarata were harassing students and the FUTA demanded an end to such undemocratic action.

Several undergraduates had been suspended without proper inquiries or valid reasons, Dr. Dewasiri said, adding that undergraduates had launched protests.

"We will inform of our token strike to the ministry shortly and the letter has already been drafted", he said.

FUTA PRESS RELEASE CRISIS WITH REGARD TO ALLIED HEALTH SCIENCE DEGREES

The situation with students following the Allied Health Science Degree is extremely serious with students from the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (FAHS) in Peradeniya engaged in continuous protests for several months. Various viewpoints have been raised in this regard and FUTA takes this opportunity to present their perspective on this very serious issue.

Allied health care services are an integral part of health care all over the world. Sri Lanka lacked recognized and professional training opportunities in this sector and allied health and nursing degree programmes were started in the state universities of Sri Lanka in the year 2006, as a response to a request made by the Ministry of Health to fill this gap. The process for starting such degrees followed recognized university protocols and quality guidelines. Accordingly, 4-year degree programmes in allied health sciences and nursing were started, affiliated to the Medical Faculties at Peradeniya, Sri Jayawardenapura, Colombo, Ruhuna, Jaffna and Eastern Universities. In response to certain issues that developed at the University of Peradeniya (UoP) it was agreed to establish a separate Faculty of Allied Health Sciences (FAHS) on 16.01.2007 at the UoP. Unfortunately, this potentially progressive move faced a setback when FAHS students were denied clinical training at the teaching hospitals in Kandy and Peradeniya. In response to a case filed at the Supreme Court by the UoP in an attempt to resolve this issue, the Supreme Court (SC application No 119/2008) made the following ruling: 

• No future intake of students for Allied Health Sciences degrees for Allied Health Science Faculty without consulting all parties concerned. 
•  Clinical training for the first three batches of FAHS/Peradeniya students should be provided at the Kurunegala hospital.

After more discussions with all parties, UGC at its 801st meeting held on 07.04.2010 decided to reduce the duration of all AHS degree programmes from 4 years to 3 years with effect from the 5th intake (2009/2010 batch) of students. It was further decided to offer a three year general degree and then allow only the students who fulfill the requirements to study a further year to obtain a “special” degree (3+1 system). Almost 10 months later, at its 819th meeting held on 06.01.2011 the UGC decided that the basic requirement to enter the 4th year as a GPA of 2.8 at the end of the 3rd academic year. Unfortunately, these decisions were taken in an attempt to diffuse the situation rather than in the interests of ensuring the quality and relevance of the degree programme. The proposed arrangements also did not satisfy students who raised several valid concerns regarding the 3 year degree:

1. Time/ Credits allocated for several subject areas had to be reduced. Reduction of time allocated to clinical training is a crucial problem especially in Physiotherapy, Nursing and Radiography degree programmes.
2. Some important sections such as a research project had to be removed
3. Problems regarding international accreditation: in most other countries the basic requirement in the   Allied Health fields is a 4 year degree worth 120 credits. The 3 year degree currently offered in Sri Lanka is not comparable placing our graduates at a disadvantage globally.
4. Most postgraduate programmes including in Sri Lanka require 4 years of undergraduate study. The current 3 year programme will therefore restrict postgraduate training opportunities which will in turn affect the development of the allied health sector.
5. In some fields such as nursing, normal duration of diploma courses is also 3 years. Therefore, an
   undergraduate degree of the same duration would be meaningless. 

It should be noted that the Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) and the UGC have clearly stated (even at the parliament) that they are in favour of 4-year AHS degrees. Therefore it is unclear why this current crisis cannot be resolved.

FUTA strongly urges the MoHE and the UGC to urgently resolve this issue. FUTA is of the view that the 4 year degree should be permitted. University Senates should be allowed to act independently and without interference on academic matters. The MoHE and the UGC should mediate with the relevant parties to ensure that the students concerns are adequately addressed. It is unclear why this issue has been allowed been allowed to continue for so long without resolution when the main parties involved (MoHE, UGC and university academics) are basically in agreement about how to resolve this issue. FUTA also urges the MoHE to ensure that a parliamentary committee is convened to resolve this issue permanently as proposed recently in parliament. It is unacceptable that the authorities are turning a blind eye to the serious consequences of this crisis on the lives of current and future students.

……………………. …………………….
Mr. Chandraguptha Thenuwara      Prof. Rohan Fernando
President/FUTA                             Secretary/FUTA

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rpq;fskf;fs; jd;idr; rq;flg;gLj;Jk; Nfs;tpfisf; Nfl;gijj; jtpu;j;Jf; nfhs;tjw;fhfth muR gaq;futhj kPnsOr;rp vd;w g+r;rhz;biaf; fhl;Lfpd;wJ?

Aj;jj;jpd; ,Wjpf;fl;lj;jpy; kbe;J Nghd, ,isNahUk; KjpNahUkhd Mapuf;fzf;fhd mg;ghtp kf;fis jkpo; kf;fs; epidT$UtJ Vd; jLf;fg;gLfpwJ? mg;NghJ mtu;fs; rpjWz;bUe;jdu;@ mNefkhNdhu; FLk;gq;fisg; gpupe;jpUe;jdu;@ mtu;fspd; md;Gf;Fupatu;fs; Jf;fkD\;bf;f Kbahj xU re;ju;g;gj;jpy; mtu;fs; capupoe;jpUe;jhu;fs;. ,we;jtu;fs; jkJ cwtpdu;fshf ,Ue;jhYk; ,y;yhtpl;lhYk; mfhy kuzkile;j ngUk; vz;zpf;ifahd jkJ r%f cWg;gpdu;fSf;F xd;W Nru;e;J Jf;fkD\;bf;Fk; cupik jkpou;fSf;F  ,Uf;fNtz;Lk;. rpq;fs kf;fs; kuzpj;j N[.tp.gp. fpsu;r;rpahsu;fis epidT$Uk;NghJ ,j;jifa mlf;FKiwfSf;F mtu;fs; Mshf;fg;gLtjpy;iyNa!

Aj;jj;jpid murpay; Nkhrbf;fhf murhq;fk; gad;gLj;j vz;Zk; NghJ> jkJ epyq;fSk; milahsq;fSk; rpq;fskag;gLj;jg;gLtjhy; Vw;gLk; mtkjpg;Gk; ek;gpf;ifaPdKk;> Aj;j ,Wjp khjq;fspy; Vw;gl;l ghupa kdpj mtyq;fis %b kiwf;Fk; nraYk;> LTTE MdJ jq;fisf; Nflakhf itj;jpUe;j Nfhgj;jpw;Fk; mg;ghy;; murpd; Nehf;fj;jpw;F vjpu;khwhf LTTE I Nehf;fpa ntspg;gLj;jg;glhj xU ehl;lj;ij kf;fSf;Ff; nfhz;LtUk;.

,g; NghuhdJ vkJ tuyhw;wpd; xU gFjp. ,jd; Kbitg;gw;wp kl;Lky;yhJ Kbtpw;F Kd;du; ,g;Nghiu %dW jrhg;jq;fshf njhlur;nra;j midj;J gFjpapduJk; rPu;nfl;l murpay; gw;wpAk;> Kbtpw;Fg; gpd;dUk; ,dp tUk; fhyj;jpw;Fk; vq;fisg; ghFghnld;Dk; Nrw;wpy; mkpo;j;jr; rjp nra;gtu;fs; gw;wpAk;  ehk; ntspg;gilahfg; NgrNtz;Lk;. ,J Nghd;w tplaq;fspy; r%fj;Jf;F top fhl;lNtz;baJ gy;fiyf;fofNk. Mdhy; epu;thfpfs; mlf;FKiwiag; gad;gLj;jp> jkf;F Ntz;lhjtu;fis mfw;Wk;, murpay;kag;gLj;jg;gl;l gy;fiyf;fofj;jhy; nfsutj;Jld; $ba r%f ey;ypzf;fj;jpw;F gq;fspg;G toq;f KbahJ.  gy;fiyf;fofk; %lg;gl;l KiwNa ,jw;Fr; rhd;whfTs;sJ.

Nkw;gb gy;fiyf;fof %ly; njhlu;ghd mwptpj;jYf;F nghWg;Ngw;f Ntz;batu;fs; JizNte;jUk; gjpthsUkhtu;.  MdhYk; ,tu;fs; ,jw;fhd nghWg;gpid Vw;fhjJld; ,jw;Fg; gjpyspg;gjpypUe;Jk; eOtpAs;sdu;.  fiyg;gPlhjpgjp Nguhrpupau; rptehjd; LTTE apd; kPs;tUiff;F JizNghtjhf Rnuhl;bapy; njuptpf;fg;gl;bUe;jJ.  ,t;thwhd ehfuPfkw;w gaKWj;jiy NguitAk; gy;fiyf;fof epu;thfKk; fz;bj;jpUf;f Ntz;Lk;.  mz;ikf;fhy jtwhd epakdq;fis Nguitapy; fz;bj;jpUe;j xNu egu; fiyg;gPlhjpgjpNa.  

Ngr;Rr; Rje;jpuj;jpw;Fk; tpthjpg;gjw;Fkhd ghJfhg;ghd ,lkhf gy;fiyf;fofk; ,y;yhJtpbd;;  tpupTiuahsu;fs; jhkwpe;j cz;ikfis fw;gpf;f mQ;Rthu;fshapd;;  khztu;fs; tpupTiufSf;F tu mQ;Rthu;fshapd;;  Gzu;tho;tspf;fg;gl;l Kd;dhs; Nghuhspfs; jkJ fy;tpia njhluKbahJ njhlu;e;Jk; jLj;;Jitf;fg;gl;Nlh my;yJ jfty; jUgtu;fshfNth ghtpf;fg;gLthu;fshapd;; ehq;fs; vkJ ,isNahu;fSf;fhd tskhd vjpu;fhyj;Jf;fhd tha;g;Gf;fis kWg;gJ khj;jpukd;;wp ,yq;ifau; midtuJk; tskhd mikjpahd vjpu;fhyj;jpidAk; ghobf;fpd;Nwhk;.  mlf;FKiw kw;Wk; gaKWj;jy; Clhf r%fj;jpid gzpe;JNghfTk; nksdpf;fTk; nra;ayhk;.  MdhYk; cz;ik ,q;F njhiye;JNghfpd;wJ.  tpQ;QhduPjpahd Ma;TfSf;Fk;, Qhdj;Njly; vy;yhtw;wpw;Fkhd mbehjkhf tpsq;FtJ cz;ik.  cz;ik njhiye;JNghdnjhU #oypy; gy;fiyf;fofj;jhy; cz;ikahdnjhU gy;fiyf;fofkhf nraw;glKbahJ. 

jq;fs; cz;ikAs;s,

fyhepjp n[. gp. n[aNjtd;,

jiytu; aho;. gy;fiyf;fof tpQ;Qhd Mrpupau; rq;fk;.

Jaffna varsity teachers assert right to mourn

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Meera Srinivasan

The Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Association has condemned the closure of the university between May 16 and 20, pointing to intimidation and repression of free discussion on campus.

It said that some university professors and student leaders received death threats warning them against holding any commemoration for those who lost their lives during the war, alleging that they were trying to revive the LTTE.

Earlier this month, the registrar of the university had sent out a circular announcing that the university and its hostels will remain closed from May 16 to 20, which coincides with the days that the country’s ethnic conflict ended.

“Why should Tamils speaking of the war be such an explosive issue five years after it ended, a war in which neither side owned a monopoly on terrorism?” the university teachers asked, in a strongly-worded statement titled ‘In the shadow of war and peace on a war-footing’ released on Tuesday. The statement assumes significance for it comes from a group of academics who are not affiliated to any political party, at a time when most people in northern Sri Lanka are hesitating to speak fearing surveillance. The Sri Lankan government has, over the last few months, maintained there was an attempt to revive the LTTE in the island’s Tamil-speaking north. Pointing to the ‘Victory Day’ celebration – to mark the end of the war — to be observed by the Sri Lankan armed forces in Matara, the teachers asked why the Tamils alone were barred from remembering those who died during the war. 

“The Tamil people should have the freedom to mourn collectively the untimely death of a large number of members of their community whether or not the dead persons are members of their family,” the note said.

“While the Government wants to use the war for political deception, it is only to be expected that its obverse, in the wake of hopelessness and humiliation in being forced to accept the Sinhalisation of their lands and symbols, and the erasure of huge civilian suffering in the latter months of the war, might lead to latent nostalgia for the LTTE – despite the anger against its holding the civilians hostage in the last stages of the war,” it said. The only way to deal with such nostalgia is allow people to express themselves freely, and to ensure that the mechanisms of justice function to eradicate, and not to instate impunity, the statement said. When The Hindu earlier spoke to registrar V. Kandeepan on why the university was closed, he cited pending repair work as reason.

Keywords: LTTE, Jaffna University, Sri Lankan Tamils

Jaffna University: In the Shadow Of War And Peace On A War-Footing

May 13, 2014 | Filed under: Colombo Telegraph,News,STORIES | Posted by: COLOMBO_TELEGRAPH

Jaffna University professors are threatened and the University is closed without giving any explanation.

Secretary MOD Gotabaya Rajapaksa

“Early in the week beginning on 5^th May, events bearing on the anniversary of the end of the war on 18^th May followed in quick succession. The Registrar sent out letters announcing the closure of the University from 16^th to 20^th May with no explanation. On the 7^th leaflets were posted on the University premises making death threats against professors who are allegedly guiding students to support terrorism and student leaders of just the Arts and Science faculties and the leader of the University Student’s Union. The academics threatened are Prof. Sivanathan, Dean of Arts, and Mr. Rasakumaran, Head of the English Language Teaching Centre, and the leader of the University Teachers’ Association. The same day, Major General Udaya Perera invited university officials, including the Vice Chancellor, deans, and student leaders, for discussions the following day, 8^th, where they were garlanded, feasted and flattered with dancers and singers. General Perera told them very politely that no observance in the University would be permitted on the 18^th, as any observance would amount to extolling the late LTTE leader Prabhakaran and would thus count as an inducement to terrorism. SSP Jaffna told the Sunday Times (11^th May),’Any persons trying to hoist black flags, distribute leaflets or put up posters will be Considered supporting of terrorism and such persons will be taken into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.’ says the Jaffna University Science Teachers’ Association.

Issuing a statement JUSTA Dr. J.P. Jeyadevan today asked; Why should Tamils speaking of the war be such an explosive issue five years after it ended, a war in which neither side owned a monopoly on terrorism?

We publish below the statement in full;

Jaffna University: In the Shadow of War and Peace On A War-Footing

Postwar, Jaffna University has shown considerable promise. After the lethargy and isolation of the war years, students from all communities are studying in the University, showing greater interest in their studies and library usage has livened up. The challenge is to provide a quality academic environment and reputation for probity in administration so that these students who work hard will take away with them the qualifications that are respected for worthy intellectual effort. Then we have ominous intrusions that dash hopes of the University regaining the stature it had in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Early in the week beginning on 5^th May, events bearing on the anniversary of the end of the war on 18^th May followed in quick succession. The Registrar sent out letters announcing the closure of the University from 16^th to 20^th May with no explanation. On the 7^th leaflets were posted on the University premises making death threats against professors who are allegedly guiding students to support terrorism and student leaders of just the Arts and Science faculties and the leader of the University Student’s Union. The academics threatened are Prof. Sivanathan, Dean of Arts, and Mr. Rasakumaran, Head of the English Language Teaching Centre, and the leader of the University Teachers’ Association. The same day, Major General Udaya Perera invited university officials, including the Vice Chancellor, deans, and student leaders, for discussions the following day, 8^th, where they were garlanded, feasted and flattered with dancers and singers. General Perera told them very politely that no observance in the University would be permitted on the 18^th, as any observance would amount to extolling the late LTTE leader Prabhakaran and would thus count as an inducement to terrorism. SSP Jaffna told the Sunday Times (11^th May),“Any persons trying to hoist black flags, distribute leaflets or put up posters will be Considered supporting of terrorism and such persons will be taken into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.”

Why should Tamils speaking of the war be such an explosive issue five years after it ended, a war in which neither side owned a monopoly on terrorism? The answer has to do with the ideological polarization that remains because there is even less hope now of a political settlement to the national question that has been with us from Independence. Let us not forget that the Government is to observe the same anniversary in grand style in Matara, as the sole author of victory over the LTTE, and with all the pomp and circumstance that goes on around it.

Is it to prevent the Sinhalese people from asking awkward questions that the Government needs to play on their fears by harping on the revival of terrorism?

Why should the Tamils be barred from remembering thousands of people, young and old, most of them innocent, who died during the last phase of the war? They were scattered; many were separated from their families and many died when their loved ones were not in a position to mourn. The Tamil people should have the freedom to mourn collectively the untimely death of a large number of members of their community whether or not the dead persons are members of their family. When Sinhalese people remember dead JVP insurgents they are not subjected by the authorities to such repressive measures.

While the Government wants to use the war for political deception, it is only to be expected that its obverse, in the wake of hopelessness and humiliation in being forced to accept  the Sinhalisation of their lands and symbols, and the erasure of huge civilian suffering in the latter months of the war, might lead to latent nostalgia for the LTTE – despite the anger against its holding the civilians hostage in the last stages of the war. The way to deal with such nostalgia is allow people to express themselves freely, and to ensure that the mechanisms of justice function to eradicate, and not to instate impunity.

The war is part of our history and we need to talk about it frankly, not just the end of it, but about the depraved politics on all sides that sustained it for three decades and even after its close, conspire to hold us in the mire of partisanship for decades to come. It is the very task of a university to offer the community leadership on such questions. But a politicized university that the authorities try to sanitize and repress cannot contribute to the task of reconciliation with dignity. This is evident in the way the University was closed.

The Registrar and Vice Chancellor are responsible for issuing the notice of closure referred to, but have evaded questions and refused to take responsibility. The threatening notices in the University again singled out the Dean of Arts, Prof. Sivanathan, as trying to revive the LTTE. The authorities and the Council should have condemned such crude intimidation, which strikes at the very root of a University – that the LTTE did this in its day is no excuse. The Dean was practically the only member of the Council to oppose, as he had done before, the recent recruitment as Computer Application Assistants a list of unqualified persons at the behest of a political party that virtually runs the Council. He rebuked the Council that this was a ‘malpractice’.

The issue of freedom to discuss the war thus runs much deeper; it is about defending academic freedom and excellence. It is to do with political appointments to the non-academic staff, which adds another dimension to surveillance and the appearance of threatening posters, as well as favouritism in academic appointments. Sadly these kinds of threats are not new to Jaffna University: in the post-war period threats against students and staff were issued in 2010, 2011, and 2012. The culture of threat and surveillance at the university affects everyone who works there: spying and intrigue inhibit collegiality and the open exchange of ideas that are needed to produce excellent teaching and scholarship. If the university cannot be a safe place for the exercise of freedom of speech, for dissent and debate; if faculty are afraid to teach known facts, if students are afraid to attend classes, and if rehabilited ex-combatants are never allowed to pursue their studies but are continually detained, pressurized, or made into informers, then we are not only  cheating our youth of the chance positively to change their futures, but cheating our entire society of the opportunity  to transform itself for the good of all who live in Lanka. Repression and intimidation only leads to further self-censorship and silence; this may secure acquiescence, but at the expense of the truth, which is at the heart of scientific inquiry, and of all knowledge. The university simply cannot function under these circumstances.

Yours sincerely,

Dr. J.P. Jeyadevan, President JUSTA

Translation

May Day 2014: Message from the Employees’ Union

The University Employees’ Union makes this May-Day appeal at a time when the value and regard of the University faces a precipitous decline. We all face the burden of raising standards and turning round the present crisis. The main causes of the present downturn are as follows:

1. Actions of certain officials of the Ministry of the Higher Education that go beyond bounds of their legitimate authority.

2. The local day to day manipulation of persons who enjoy the support of the same Ministry officials.

3. Senior administrators who in order to keep their positions are ready to sell out on the high standards and independence a University must nurture and protect.

Some day they will be made answerable to the university community and the general public.

We are further saddened that in these challenging times for the people of the region, our elected representatives, who were with much fervor ushered in with astonishing majorities, have been deafeningly silent on the tragic plight o f the University.

The University could embark on its overdue journey to regain stature, only if the Council, which is the final authority in university affairs, is composed of persons who are committed and fair minded.

The academics have an indispensable role to play in ensuring that this happy turn of events in the composition of the council, is brought about expeditiously.

To this end, the academics, employees and students must all work together. While we seek public support to bring about this favourable change in the fortunes of the University, we must leave no stone unturned to mobilize the cooperation and influence of concerned persons in the South.