Minister announces closure of 21 universities, institutes

Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake yesterday announced that 21 universities and educational institutes, except the Faculties of Medicine will remain closed until further notice. The decision came into effect from yesterday.

The minister took this decision in terms of the powers vested in him by the University Act No 16, 1978 after having discussed the present university crisis with Vice Chancellors and Directors of universities and academics not involved in the Federation of University Teachers Association’s (FUTA) trade union action.

Minister Dissanake yesterday said he suspected political agendas behind the trade union action by FUTA to create a political crisis leading to regime change. Minister Dissanayake in a release yesterday said there may be some hidden political agendas and motives behind this trade union action. The minister said the government took every possible effort to resolve the matter through negotiations. Minister Dissanayake said the government has had a series of discussions with FUTA at ministry level.

He said FUTA had a series of discussion with Secretary to the President Lalith Weeratunga and Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa without success. The minister said FUTA has not agreed to resolve this matter amicably due to some unknown reasons which may be due to political reasons.

The release: “The university crisis in this country has been continuing without a practical solution for the last two months, putting the most intelligent student segment of this country in darkness and without any hopes and their parents badly frustrated. The government strongly believes that this is not a healthy environment to all stakeholders, especially to the students and parents.

“When we analayse the prevailing situation in the academic crisis it is very clear that there are some invisible parties who want to use this crisis to achieve their petty political motives while they do not seek any positive alternatives to resolve the matter amicably.

“Initially we strongly believed that there were no political motives behind this trade union action and based on that assumption for the last two months, the government put all efforts to resolve the matter in an amicable manner through negotiations .

“As a result, we had a series of discussions with the Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) in three levels. Firstly, at the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) level, secondly at the Presidential Secretary level with the MOHE and finally with Minister Basil Rajapaksa level with the Presidential Secretary on concurrence with the MOHE.

“We have had around 10 discussions and exchanging of letters, drafts of MoU etc and still the FUTA has not agreed to resolve this matter amicably due to some unknown reasons which may be mainly due to political reasons.

“What we now strongly believe is that there may be some hidden political agendas and motives behind this trade union action and by using the same, few parties are trying to create a political crisis in the country and using it for their advantage by taking the majority innocent academics without their will to this trade union action.

Finally their aim is to create instability and a political crisis leading to a regime change, we guess.

:To prove that we will explain the FUTA’s six main demands which they have put forward before the trade union action.

1 Increase the basic salary of all university academics by 20 percent immediately.
2 Spending six percent of GDP on education and working to achieve to this target during the next few years.
3 Creating a separate service for university academics (SLUAS).
4 De-politicisation of the universities and protect the academic freedom of the teachers.
5 When we introduce the changes to the higher education system, perform it with the consultation and change management through participatory approach with academics.
6 Allow academic community to actively participate in the economic development process and create a conducive environment.

As a result of series of discussions, the government has agreed to all five demands from Nos 2 to 6 in writing. In case of demand No 1 ( 20 percent basic salary increase) the government has clearly indicated to FUTA that for the time being it is unable to accept that demand since it may create many discrepancies and anomalies in the national salary structure creating other repercussions.

Please note the fact that during the last one year period, the government has given them from 36 percent to 83 percent total salary increase through various allowances and payments.

Therefore it is impossible to consider demand No 1 now but definitely in the future when the right environment occurs.

In our discussions, FUTA has clearly accepted the fact that it is not possible for the government to give a further salary increase to them for the time being.

Further, the government has proposed to appoint a special Presidential Commission on Higher Education and to establish a Post Graduate University in the future.

The government has clearly communicated the above facts in writing to the FUTA and the FUTA is dragging this trade union action without any reasonable reason other that political reasons what we now have clearly observed from the outcome during the last two months.

The government strongly believes that it high time to make the universities normal and run the system smoothly to safeguard the future of the students and the parents’ expectations. We would like to focus on the following situation prevailing in the university system today.

1.Trade union action is active in various levels depending on the university, faculty and institute: a. There are universities, institutes and faculties not participating in the trade union action at all. Those are: Uva Wellassa University, South – Eastern University, Buddhist and Pali University – Homagama, Buddasrawaka University – Anuradhapura, Yakkala Wickramaarchchi Ayurvedha Institute, all medical faculties except Ruhuna University Medical Faculty and in some universities various percentages of academics are performing their lectures, exams and other workshops and research activities.

The above prevailing situation creates a very confusing state and nobody knows whether the univeristy system is is effectively functioning or not.

The above complicated situation does not support to the smooth functioning of the university system and the government thinks that situation should be rectified as soon as possible.

As the Minister of Higher Education, I had a detail discussion on August 20, 2012 with all Vice Chancellors and Directors of universities and the academics that do not participate in the trade union action at present and all of them insisted that the prevailing environment in the university system is not very conducive and we have to take some remedial action immediately. As power given in the University Act No 16, 1978 section 20(4) (a) as the Minister of Higher education I have to close the following universities and institutes until further notice for academic activities effective from 21st August 2012.

University of Colombo except the Faculty of Medicine
University of Peradeniya except the Faculty of Medicine
University of Sri Jayawardenapura except the Faculty of Medicine
University of Kelaniya except the Faculty of Medicine
University of Moratuwa
University of Jaffna except the Faculty of Medicine
University of Ruhuna except the Faculty of Medicine
Eastern University Sri Lanka except the Faculty of Health Care Sciences
Rajarata University of Sri Lanka except the Faculty of Medicine and Allied Sciences
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka
Wayamba University of Sri Lanka
University of Visual and Performing Arts
The Open University of Sri Lanka
Institute of Indigenous Medicine
University of Colombo School of Computing
Swami Vipulananda Institute of Aesthetic Studies
Institute of Human Resource Advancement (IHRA), University of Colombo
Institute of Technology , University of Moratuwa, Sripalee Campus, Trincomalee Campus, Vavuniya Campus

At the same time, MOHE will notify the resumption date of the above universities and the institutes as soon as possible