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| Sunday, 4 May 2003 |
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| News Business Features Editorial
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Sri Jayawardenapura University : 'Den of corruption' by Shanika Sriyananda "The University was producing incompetent doctors. And there is a dearth of senior lecturers to teach medical students", charged a Senior Lecturer who did not want to be named. He also claimed that due to incompetent teaching, some undergraduates, who got poor results for Anatomy, have already left the university. " The failure rate has gone up due to this" he said alleging that the university was spending large sums of money to hire visiting lecturers. Knowledgable sources confirm the Senior lecturer's allegations and attribute the high failure rate in Anatomy to the lack of senior staff in the department. University sources attribute the unhealthy environment to a team of 'heads', who lack professional qualifications. They allege the 'Heads had been appointed with the blessings of the highest authorities of the University, solely to maintain their hierarchy in the University. The departments of Anatomy, Medical Education and Health Science, Forensic Medicine and Surgery have been functioning without Senior Lecturers for the past nine years. And according to University sources, the faculty authorities have avoided advertising for both senior and junior posts in a bid to shut out senior academics. Senior academics allege that the faculty hierarchy had advertised only the junior posts violating the University Grants Commission (UGC) circular 59, which states that 'both junior and senior vacancies should be advertised together'. The omission in glaring especially, since the Senior Lecturer posts have been vacant in the Departments of Medical Education and Forensic Medicine, for the past nine years. " Not a single senior lecturer has been recruited since the inception of the Faculty in 1993. The Heads of these departments block the recruitment of senior lecturers by advertising only junior posts and by-passing normal procedures", the sources allege. Meanwhile, the three junior lecturers recruited for the post of lecturer (Probationary) violating UGC procedures are still in the academic staff of the Department of Anatomy, despite the UGC ruling to the contrary. The ruling is given in memo No. UGC/619/4.1/ states : " The Commission did not approve the appointment of the following three candidates to the posts of Lecturer (Probationary) in the Faculty of Medical Science, University of Sri Jayawardenapura". Prof. Lakshman Ratnayake, Vice-Chairman UGC, had sent letters dated June 10 and 29, 2002 calling for explanations from the University authorities for deviating from the normal procedure of recruiting the said junior lecturers. He had also asked the Vice -Chancellor to give reasons for not filling the senior posts. Amidst the UGCs' repeated notices to re-advertise both Junior and Senior Lecturer posts together, the University authorities again in September 2002 advertised for Probationary and Temporary Research Assistants to fill vacancies in the Departments of Medical Education and Forensic Medicine, where senior lecturers posts have been vacant for the last nine years. With repeated notices from the UGC to the University Heads not to by-pass normal procedure in recruiting academics, appearing to fall on deaf ears. Senior Lecturers of the Medical Faculty have now requested the Ministry of Tertiary Education and Training to investigate the irregularities. Most of the Senior Lecturer posts in the 15 departments of the Medical Faculty, have been vacant for years. This also violates UGC circular No. 621, which states that 'all vacancies should be filled within a period of 6 months'. The Department of Surgery has not advertised the vacant posts for Senior Lecturers for the last five years. According to Jayalath Murutthettuwegedara, Registrar of the University, there are no Senior Lectures in the Departments of Medical Education and Health Sciences. The Senior Lecturer posts at the Department of Anatomy is still vacant, while the Department of Surgery also needs one more Lecturer. Murutthettuwegedara said that the responsibility of recruiting junior and senior staff lies with the Dean of the Faculty, but pointed out that the University did not have the funds for new recruitment. " We await the UGCs' approval to recruit new staff", he said. Meanwhile, the academic staff are also questioning the inequitable distribution of resources to the Microbiology Department of the Faculty. In 1998, the Microbiology Department received over 45 per cent of the total allocation of funds of the Medical Faculty. " This particular Department was given over Rs. 3 million to purchase equipment and furniture, while the other 14 departments received less than Rs. 4 million", Senior academics alleged. They also pointed out that while other departments were not allocated money to purchase research equipment, the Microbiology Department received a JICA grant of Rs. 70 million to purchase state-of-the-art equipment. According to university sources, most of these equipment, which are very expensive, are not for daily patient care but only for teaching. The sources also accuse the female Head of the Microbiology Department of violating tender procedures in purchasing chemicals worth US $ 146,400. The Head of the Microbiology Department also acts as the Head of the Molecular Biology Unit. Senior academics while questioning as to who had given the authority for her to function as the head of the two departments pointed out that she also was the Coordinator of the Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT) unit. The academics claim that the particular 'head' had also obtained an ADB loan of Rs. 20 million (US $ 226,832) approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology to the Molecular Biology Unit to purchase equipment and consumable in 2000, and that she is in line for another ADB loan of Rs. 66 million from the Ministry of Science and Technology, this year, as well. The Senior Lecturers alleged that some Heads of Departments of the Medical faculty were not 'professionally qualified' and claimed that some of these Heads travel abroad on scholarships offered to the staff. " According to university regulations such scholarships have to be referred to the Scholarship Committee or to the Faculty Board Committee for approval. But applications of these Heads of Departments never go through any of the Committees" they claimed adding that these scholarships often go to the wrong persons. When contacted Dr. D.S. Epitawatte, Vice Chancellor of the University, who was appointed to the post six months ago, admitted that the Internal Auditor had commenced investigation on the alleged tender violations in the Microbiology Department. He also admitted that there were over 150 vacancies in the University to be filled. However, he said that following a decision taken by the Senate Meeting held recently, some of the vacancies of the Medical Faculty would be filled soon. " We will follow the normal procedure when filling the vacancies", he assured. Dr. Epitawatte said that there were Circulars stating the procedures but in some instances due to practical difficulties it was very difficult to strictly adhere to them. According to him, a professor, senior lecturer and lecturer (Probationary) will be recruited for the Anatomy Department. " We will fill the vacant posts for Professor of the Department of Forensic Medicine, vacant posts for senior lecturer and lecturer and senior lecturer (probationary) and lecturer (probationary) of the Department of Medical Education and Health Science, vacant posts of senior lecturer (probationary) and lecturer (probationary) of the Department of Obstetrician and Gynaecology", he said. He assured that the probationary posts will be selected by the Selection Board according to the applicants' suitability for the post. When asked about staff selection for scholarships, Dr. Epitawatte, said that staff would be selected by the Scholarship Committee and in some instances by the Dean of the Faculty. However, the attempts to get a full comment from the Dean of the Medical Faculty failed but he confirmed that all vacancies were filled complying with the UGC's procedure. ------------ "I do not have any thing to hide" - Professor Sirimalee Fernando Professor Sirimalee Fernando, Head of the Microbiology Department, who is the central figure regarding allegations of misuse of funds and violation of tender procedures, denied the allegations levelled against her. " I followed university regulations when applying and receiving funds for my Department", she said. She also said that her sole desire was to develop the Microbiology Department and to furnish it with state-of-the art laboratory equipment. " This is my vision and I did my best to develop it. I did not use a cent from the funds received to the department for my personal needs", she said. " When I became the Head of the Department in 1996, there was only a microscope. At that time, the main aim of the University was to develop the Clinical Department and we had to cope with limited facilities. Step by step I developed the Department. Is it a crime to work hard to develop the place where you work ? she asked. Prof. Fernando said that she submitted the proposals for the ADB grant in 2002 and started a project on dengue and typhoid eradication. " We already submitted three research papers on dengue and two papers on typhoid. Under the ADB funds we were able to develop molecular methods for easy diagnosis of dengue and typhoid, where the post graduate students are engaged in developing these methods", she pointed out. She also said that these papers won awards at the sessions of Sri Lanka Medical Association and the Sri Lanka College of Microbiologists. Prof. Fernando added that her department was now in the process of introducing modules of Microbiology for early detection of dengue for undergraduate courses. She said that she had been obtaining funds since 1997, with no allegation of misappropriation. " I am wondering why false allegations are being made against me and who is behind it ?". "I do not have any thing to hide. I have already submitted a report to the Vice Chancellor, but, I personally believe that these accusations are being made because I am a woman", she said. Meanwhile, K.A.D.U.P Kalubowila, Internal Auditor, who commenced the investigations said that the ADB grant for the alleged tender had not been approved by the ADB yet and it was too early to give a comment and he would submit his report to the Vice Chancellor, soon. |
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