Dons' foreign trips under check

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has recommended urgent amendments to the Universities' Act with tougher conditions on overseas travel of lecturers and other officers.

The proposal hopes to prevent losses incurred due to breach of agreements by the university officials going overseas.

In their latest report which was tabled in Parliament last Thursday the COPE said a total of Rs.360 million was outstanding in 2010 as dues to be recovered by the universities and higher education institutes from officers who had breached agreements and bonds signed before proceeding for overseas training.

The outstanding figures were Jaffna Rs. 118 million; Peradeniya Rs. 105 million; J'pura Rs. 69 million; Open University Rs. 40 million; Moratuwa 17 million and the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute Rs. 11 million and others. MF