SOLVE DONS’ISSUES BEFORE INCREASING INTAKE: FUTA

The Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA) said yesterday a Supreme Court order to increase university intake by 4,928 would come a cropper because decisions on university admission were made by university faculty board members, who were on strike now.

According to the court order the University Grants Commission (UGC) is required to release the new rankings without any delay and ensure an additional intake of 25 per cent to each university faculty.

The UGC was directed to implement the third of four proposals which called for a 4,928 increase in student intake.

FUTA President Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said until the government granted the demands put forward by university teachers the ongoing trade union action would continue and in such a scenario it won’t be possible to increase the intake for the 2011/2012 academic year.

Dr. Dewasiri said it was not the UGC but lecturers led by the deans who com- prise the university faculty boards which decide on the student recruitment processes.

“However due to the ongoing university strike the faculty boards will not be able to make a decision on increasing university intakes in addition to the 21,500 students usually admitted to universities each year,” he said. “The court decision is yet another reason for the government to support us to call off the strike because as long as the strike continues it will not be possible to admit students to universities.”

He said recruiting more students to the medical and engineering faculties was questionable as there were grave difficulties providing laboratory and clinical facilities to students.

The Moratuwa University Teachers Association said a directive forwarded to the UGC to increase the student intake once again demonstrated that university autonomy was lost.

It said the Higher Education Ministry and the UGC had a responsibility to forward the decision to the faculty boards.

“The UGC does not have a legitimate right to make such a decision. This is why we say there is no university autonomy,” Association member Dr. Rangika Halwathura said. He said increasing the student intake meant the recruitment of more university teachers and the increase of lab facilities. University teachers who stopped work two months ago on July 4 and have refused to return to work until their demands were met. A cabinet paper listing their concerns was presented to FUTA recently.