FUTA should have maintained urgent services - SB

Minister of Higher Education, S.B. Dissanayake said the university lecturers are acting in a highly irresponsible manner, risking the future of students, including Advanced Level students who have just sat for the examination.

"When doctors go on strike, they continue to provide emergency services such as accident service, ICU and Cardiac Units. Similarly when electricity engineers and workers strike, they would sill man strategic locations and distribution points. In contrast, university lecturers on strike have completely withdrawn without even attending to emergency duties as marking of Advanced Level answer scripts," he said.

"This is similar to a doctor not putting the finishing touches after surgery. The lecturers prepared the AL question papers and the students have answered them. Now lecturers refuse to mark answer scripts, it is as if a doctor refuses to close up and putt stitches after a surgery. It is highly irresponsible and unreasonable act.

"The FUTA should have maintained urgent services such as marking of AL answer scripts even though they are on strike.

They should not play with the lives of youth, especially AL students who are awaiting results after 12 years of hard work at school," Minister Dissanayake said.