New VC of University Grants Commission
Prof M. T. M. Jiffry, Senior Professor of Physiology and Founder Dean
of the Faculty of Medical Sciences of the University of Sri
Jayewardenepura recently assumed duties as the Vice Chairman of the
University Grants Commission (UGC) of Sri Lanka.
Prof. Jiffry who has been in the University service from 1974, first
qualified in dental surgery and specialised in the field of Neuro-Physiology
from the University of Bristol, UK.
Thereafter he obtained further qualifications in Medical Education
from the Dundee University in UK and NSW University in Australia. A
product of several schools, such as St. Servatius and St Thomas’
Colleges of Matara, Mahinda College Galle and Ananda College Colombo, he
has many outstanding academic achievements to his credit.
In addition he has an affiliation to many International Institutes of
Excellence such as Johns Hopkins Medical School, USA; Medical Schools of
Bristol, Southampton, London Hospital and Dundee, UK; All India
Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India; Chulalongkorn Medical
School, Bangkok, Thailand; Singapore University, University of Malaya,
KL, Malaysia and Riphah Medical School, Islamabad, Pakistan.
In addition he has also served as short term consultant to the WHO on
several occasions and followed update courses in Higher education at the
World Bank Institute, Washington, USA.
At present Prof. Jiffry also serves as a member of the Finance
Commission as well as a consultant to the Ministry of Science and
Technology. Prof. Jiffry has experience in many aspects of higher
education as a Higher Education specialist as well as and experienced
researcher in Distance Learning.
He serves on many other Boards and chairs several other crucial
committees at the National level, such as the LEARN management Committee
of the UGC and the National Committee for Science, Mathematics and
Technology Education of the National Science Foundation. |