A nation of professors and doctors
 

By Edward Gunawardena

Other than the time honoured pre-fix 'Doctor' given to a physician or surgeon, a Doctor is defined in dictionaries and universally accepted as 'Holder of the highest University degree in any faculty.' A Doctorate can be earned usually by the presentation of a thesis making an original contribution to knowledge resulting from extensive study and research. Other than this a Doctorate may be conferred Honoris Causa by a University in recognition of outstanding service to human progress. Interestingly the verb (to) doctor can even 'mean castrate, patchup (machinery) adulterate or falsify!

A Professor is a 'teacher of high rank, especially holder of a chair or senior teaching appointment in a University. The words professorial and professional are also derivations from the word professor.

A professor who has retired honourably may use the title Professor emeritus. However, this has to be approved by the governing body of the university to which he belonged and served as a professor.

Highest respect

Going by the above definitions and by tradition Doctorates and Professorships have and should rightfully be the privileges of a nations academic community, and that too at the highest level. Arguably the academic community deserves the highest respect of society and the titles that they honour and cherish should not be allowed to be misused or abused.

However, there are those outside the academic community who have earned Doctorates in their respective fields of interest and contribute appreciably to a nations' progress. Persons of such academic eminence exist in all spheres of human activity whether it be agriculture, industry, commerce, administration, law, medicine, music or even politics. More often than not such men and women provide sensible leadership and make lasting contributions to their respective disciplines.

An honourary Doctorate which in true academic parlance is termed a Doctorate (Honoris Causa) is the highest honour a University confers on a person for his or her outstanding services to humanity. The credentials of a person for such an honour are gone into meticulously by the governing body of the University in the preparation of the citation. The citation which becomes a public document when read out at the University's convocation has to meet with the approval of the Senate, Council and Chancellor of the University.

Student protests

I still remember how there were student protests as Peradeniya when the Vice Chancellor Sir Nicholas Attygalle made an arbitrary decision to confer an Honorary Doctor on his kinsman Prime Minister Sir John Kotalawala. Whether he deserved it or not at the time is debatable. But in fairness to Sir John the esteem in which he is held today is thoroughly justified considering his pioneering leadership to upgrade the academic excellence of the higher ranks of the armed services. The National Defence Academy gifted by him to the nation will remain a lasting monument to his memory. It is indeed unimaginable to expect such magnanimity from a present day politician.

Rare position

A professorship is not an honorary pre-fix. It is a specific University appointment with assigned tasks and responsibilities. In the early fifties when I was a student at Peradeniya a Professor was also Head of a Department and designated as such. All other teachers were either Lecturers or Assistant Lecturers. A Readership was a rare position given to a Senior Lecturer who could not aspire to a professorship. As I remember the Professors of the time were:

Prof. Nadaraja -Law

Prof. Ray - History

Prof. Mac Fadden - Geography

Prof. Eitemann - Economics

Prof. Ludowyk - English

Prof. Aryapala - Sinhala

Prof. Malalasekera - Pali

Prof. Wijesekera - Sanskrit

Prof. Rodrigo - Western Classics

Prof. Baptist - Agriculture

The new Departments of Dental Science and Veterinary Science were headed by Professors Dissanayake and MacGanhey respectively. These were all very senior and highly respected academics who could have got similar appointments in any University in the world.

The manner of the functioning of a University as a complex organisation is by itself a fascinating subject. Apart from my reading of Cardinal Newman's 'Idea of a University' in the university entrance form primarily due to the encouragement given by the late Fr. Peter Pillai, I was able to get a critical insight into the administration of the Peradeniya University as a member and Editor of the Students Council in 1956.

I was also fortunate as a Fulbright Scholar following the Masters Degree programme in Criminal Justice 1968/69 at Michigan State University, East Lansing to follow Visitor programmes at the University of Michigan, Anne Arbor and Harvard University on subjects such as Student Counselling, Academic Freedom, University Autonomy and the Awarding of Degrees. A voluminous literature exists on the laws, practices and traditions governing universities. This exposure I had to the highly developed modern University System in the United States came in useful in many ways when in 1987 on my retirement from the Police Dept. I was appointed by President J.R.Jayewardene as Advisor to the University Grants Commission when that erudite scholar and able administrator Dr. Stanley Kalpage was the Chairman.

Dr. Stanley Kalpage supported by eminent and respected academics such as Kingsley de Silva, Charles Dahanayake, Mylvaganam, Stanley Wijesundara, Panditharatne, Ralph Panabokke, Willie Mendis and others strived his utmost to uphold the traditions and rights of Universities. The UGC of the time zealously defended the exclusive right of Universities to award Baccalaureate, Masters and Doctoral degrees. No organisation other than a recognised University could confer degrees. Any educational institution desirous of awarding degrees had to get accreditation from the UGC; and this was a long and protracted process requiring correspondence supplying proof of the competence of such applicants.

At this time I remember dealing with a complaint to the UGC from the government of Pakistan of a Sri Lankan who was a live wire in an institute of medicine of sorts awarding Doctorates in Pakistan. The UGC had nothing to do with it, and I remember writing to the relevant authority in Pakistan that he be dealt with under the laws of Pakistan.

The UGC under the leadership of Dr. Kalpage and under the stringent direction of the Minister of Higher Education the President himself set admirable standards. Even retired Professors did not use the pre-fix professor. Only Emeritus professors were permitted to do so; and only professors of rare distinction could aspire to become professors emeritus.

Prof. A.D.V. de S. Indraratne is perhaps the most respected economist in the Country today. Hundreds of his pupils hold or have held positions of eminence in the Banking and Commercial Sectors. I am personally aware of the difficulties he had to endure to get Emeritus Status. Indraratne is a believer in University traditions and professional ethics of academics. He would never have liked anybody to address him as 'professor', not even a student of his, unless he had Emeritus Status after his retirement as Prof. of Economics. Although I had known him as a Lecturer at Peradeniya in my student days, it was indeed a pleasure to have been an officer of the UGC with him in the late eighties.

Perhaps there are only a few other dedicated University teachers of yore amongst the living like Charles Dahanayake, N.A. Jayawickrema, Epasinghe, Panditharatne and Kingsley de Silva who have got Emeritus accreditation.

'Nobodies and somebodies'

However, due to the absence of laws and regulations to adequately safeguard academic standards and rights and privileges of the academic community Sri Lanka appears to be fast becoming a nation of Professors and Doctors. Some of the many 'nobodies and somebodies' who use these pre-fixes boldly have not even sighted a University. There are professors in business and commerce without even first degrees, whilst Martial Arts Schools dole out Doctorates!

With this blatant dilution, misuse and abuse of the highest academic titles it is surprising indeed that the academic community in general and the University Grants Commission in particular have remained silent.

Men and women of learning and University teachers in particular enjoy a special place in society. Society's respect for them is expressed by the use of these honoured pre-fixes. Universities and academic need to take serious notice of this disturbing trend or else, before long there will be Professors and Doctors among fish mongers, bar-keepers and gram sellers. Not that such people should not be honoured if they deserve. But why academic titles? They could very well be JPs and Deshabandus!