Less than 2% of university dons behind TU action - Higher Education Minister

By Uditha KUMARASINGHE

Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake yesterday said that less than two percent of the university dons are behind the ongoing trade union action in universities while over 60 percent of the dons fully disagree with this stance based on personal political motivations.

The Frontline Socialist Party, JVP and UNP are behind this trade union action. Some university lecturers who don’t have any political party affiliations have also joined this campaign. A mere one percent of the university lecturers are actively involved in this campaign. Ten percent of university dons who maintain the view that a struggle should be conducted to increase their salaries while another 30 percent don’t report to their duties to augment that demand.

However, 60 percent of university dons fully disagree with this stance adopted by a certain group of lecturers to take undue advantage from this issue, but the majority of university lecturers don’t like to openly criticise this action, the Minister told the Sunday Observer yesterday.

Minister Dissanayake said some of the university dons who proposed trade union action have also reported back to their duties. The majority of university academics have reported to their duties. Therefore, the Higher Education Ministry has decided to pay the salaries with arrears to the university academics who will report to their duties tomorrow and Tuesday.

According to the Minister, the Frontline Socialist Party is mainly behind this trade union action.

Shedding blood

“They need to shed blood to conduct their political campaign. It was the Frontline Socialist Party which acted as the hidden group of the JVP by resorting to kill innocent people, students and vice chancellors. They have how grabbed the students’ movement from the JVP.

“They launched their party in an absurd manner, giving massive publicity to the disappearance of two of their activists. Another female activist who had been kidnapped appeared suddenly at their party convention. At the end of this protest march, the Frontline Socialist Party wanted blood to be shed. Two innocent university students became victims and lost their lives,” he said.

Commenting on the university dons’ key demand of six percent of the GDP for education, the Minister said the Government has already allocated nearly 4.5 percent on Education compared to the allocations made to the Higher Education, Defence, Vocational Training, Social Services, Public Administration, Fisheries and several other Ministries. However, this percentage does not reflect the true picture.

This allocation made on education in Sri Lanka is higher in comparison with countries such as India, US or UK. In addition, free textbooks and school uniforms are provided to our students while a bursary is given to university students. Most other countries charge money to provide education to children.

Minister Dissanayake also urged the people to read the UNESCO report. What the UNESCO report has highlighted is that poor countries should focus on allocating at least six percent of the GDP for education and bring their literacy rate to 50 percent by 2015. Sri Lanka’s literacy rate is 98 percent at the moment. Therefore, this is a request made by UNESCO from the poorest countries in the world.

After President Mahinda Rajapaksa assumed office, the allocations made to the education and higher education sectors have been considerably increased. However, this cannot be witnessed only through the financial allocations of the Higher Education Ministry as funds have been allocated to several ministries to develop the education sector.

More funds for higher education

The Rs. 5,000 million reserved for higher education in 2000 has been increased to Rs. 10,000 million in 2005. A Rs. 19,000 million allocation was made to higher education in 2011 and was increased to Rs. 25,000 million in 2012. According to the Appropriation Bill prepared for the 2013 financial year, Rs.31,000 million has been allocated to develop the higher education sector in 2013.

“Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who also took the lead at the protest march organised by the university dons, curtailed the funds allocated for universities and the bursary given to university students during his regime, from 2001 to 2004.

“During the university lecturers’ protest march, various slogans had been read that Sajith, Ranil or Fonseka would be the future president of the country.

“Therefore, Opposition politicians didn’t join this march with the objective of increasing the salaries of university dons. It was an ideal platform for political bickering within the Opposition.

“Following requests made by university students, the Most Venerable Maha Nayakes of the Malwatte and Asgiriya Chapters have also expressed their willingness to mediate to solve the issue of university dons. I think this is a praiseworthy move taken by the Maha Nayake Theras.

“Actually it was these university teachers who prepared the A/L question papers and marks, but a professional trade union cannot behave in such an inhuman manner.

“As an example, if the doctors go for trade union action, they never resort to strikes at the ICU or accident ward. Even if CEB employees resort to trade union action, they never apply it to places of strategic importance or key economic hubs.”

Minister Dissanayake said university academics are the highest paid government servants and they already receive many State benefits.

University dons had several rounds of discussions with the officials of the Higher Education Ministry, the Presidential Secretary, and even the Economic Development Minister Basil Rajapaksa. The Minister charged that though they had initially agreed on a compromise, the dons had broken off the agreements and found fault with the Government after concluding the discussions.

Increments

He said in 2010, all Government sector servants received a five percent salary increment, but university academics received a 36.5 percent increment, inclusive of examination allowances and academic allowances.

The Minister pointed out that even after receiving all these benefits, they are asking for a further 20 percent increment.

However, conceding to the academics’ demands, the Government has agreed to grant an increment from October 1. Accordingly, the all inclusive salary of a senior professor will be Rs. 172,227.75 per month from October 1, representing an increment of 83.61 percent. The all inclusive salary of a professor will be Rs. 157,332.10 (82.12 percent).

The all inclusive salary of an assistant professor will be Rs. 136,855.70, a 71.88 percent increase, a grade one senior lecturer will receive an all inclusive salary of Rs. 113,755.80(65.89 percent) while the gross salary of a grade two senior lecturer will be Rs. 104,677.80 (61.53 percent).

A lecturer will receive an all inclusive salary of Rs. 83,000.70, representing a salary increase of 54.03 percent. A lecturer on probation will receive a gross salary of Rs. 67,369.44 per month, a 39.12 percent increment.

The Minister said lecturers get weekends off, 42 days paid holiday annually and can apply for three months paid leave if they want to go abroad. Additionally, they get paid extra as visiting lecturers, and also when they go abroad to study.

He said that the Government has taken steps to drastically increase other benefits and allocations of the university academics. The paper marking allowance has been increased by 500 percent while the visiting lecturers allowance has been increased by 300 percent. Housing loans have been increased from Rs. 500,000 to one million rupees.

The Minister said the university lecturers receive many benefits which are not available to other public servants. One year’s sabbatical leave is given for every seven years of service. A travel grant for the lecturers and spouses for any foreign university is offered.