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by Manjula Fernando

The University Grants Commission (UGC) has directed all universities to settle the university students' Mahapola bursaries with arrears by February 8, UGC Chairman Prof. Ranjith Mendis told the Daily News yesterday.

Since the final list of undergraduates who are eligible to receive the bursary has not been finalised for the 2001/2002 batch, the UGC Chairman directed the universities to pay an advance of one instalment before February 15.

He promised the university students who made a protest march from Fort Railway station to the UGC on Thursday that he would also make representations to the Tertiary Education Ministry and Mahapola Trust Fund to raise their monthly allowance from the current Rs. 1450 to Rs. 2500.

The Chairman has scheduled a tentative meeting with the Tertiary Education Ministry Secretary and Mahapola Trust Fund Chairman on February 18 to submit these recommendations.

The Chairman said that they expecteded to suggest that the minimum annual income of parents to qualify for a bursary should be Rs. 144,000 for government servants and Rs. 120,000 for others.

UGC officials had a meeting on this question yesterday and the matter will also be taken up at a meeting of Vice Chancellors of all universities at Rajarata University today.

The key demands of the undergraduates were for early settlement of Mahapola bursary, a Rs. 1040 increase of the monthly allowance and increasing the qualifying minimum parental income up to Rs. 150,000 from the current Rs. 90,000.

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