Special communique issued by minister:

Striking Dons asked to resume duties on July 30

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake in a special communique requested striking academics of universities to return to their duties from July 30 for the sake of students and their future.

Minister Dissanayake in the communique said: “The strike carried out by the academics of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) has adversely affected students’ education in universities and it could delay the process of university enrollment of new students.

“Hence, all professors and lecturers are requested to report to work from Monday for the restoration of university education, considering the future of the students, instead of compromising the latter’s future, by being victims of a few who try to gain petty political advantage by inducing such actions.”

Meanwhile, FUTA secretary Terrance Madujith on being informed of the government’s communique asking them to return to their duties said yesterday they were willing to end the strike and would discuss it with the FUTA Executive Committee.

“Forget about our demand for the salary increase, there are other demands, especially the demand of contributing 6 per cent of the GDP to develop education.We expect the Higher Education Ministry to take some action towards this and show commitment,” he said. “We do not want them to increase the contribution from the current 1.83 per cent to 6 percent all of a sudden. There should be some action,”he explained.

“FUTA will return to work no sooner it is able to come to an agreement with any higher official about its demands,” he said. Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr Sunil Jayantha Nawaratna on being contacted by the Daily News yesterday said, “they have done their very best to address the issues concerned, and went as far as to get a high powered Presidential Commission to look into them,” he said.

“FUTA has rejected this after a meeting with the Secretary to the President Lalith Weerathunga,” he said. “To make a contribution of six percent of the GDP to develop education, we are not the Finance Ministry. This is not something that Higher Education Ministry can do by itself. Such action takes time,” he explained. “Why cannot they report back to work for sake of the students, if it is their welfare they seek, and continue their negotiations with the government while teaching the students. After all they are academics. The students are affected by their strike,” he said. Asked what the government would do in case they do not return to work, Dr Nawaratna said, “ I believe they have no reason to act in such a way to create a situation which causes universities to collapse, in the best interest of the students who have placed their faith and respect in them.” The FUTA strike has already crippled university education in the country for 24 days.