FUTA ready to blow the whistle on backdoor entrants

The Island, May 10, 2013, 10:51 pm 

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) yesterday said that they were ready to announce a list of political appointees in universities and the University Grants Commission (UGC).

FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri told The Island that the university system had been highly politicized during the past four years.

Dr. Dewasiri alleged that appointments of Peradeniya Vice Chancellor and Deputy Vice Chancellor served as examples.

The senior academic said that the FUTA would launch a struggle against the politicisation of universities and expose those political appointees.

"This is one reason for the brain drain," Dr. Dewasiri said, adding that those who went abroad did not come back as they were frustrated due to what was happening in national universities where the deserving academics were denied promotions."

The FUTA chief said that however they asked the UGC to announce the names of those who were overstaying abroad after going for higher studies on government scholarships. He said they had to be dealt with according to the law.

Dr. Dewasiri said that the UGC should recover the funds expended on them for violating the bond between the university and the academics entered prior to going abroad.