Sack UGC Chief Mohan de Silva: PUMS tells President

The Parents Union of Medical Students (PUMS) on Wednesday wrote to President Maithripala Sirisena urging him to remove University Grant Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof. Mohan de Silva from his post and replace him with a better informed and impartial official.

PUMS General Secretary Gamini Ekanayake condemned Prof. Silva’s statement on solving the long-standing SAITM issue and said in their letter that he had no moral right to serve in the post of UGC Chairman. Prof. Silva failed to represent the university students at a time when they were attacked and remanded during their struggle for the right to education

Mr. Ekanayake said as the head of the UGC which exercised authority over State universities, Prof. Silva was even incapable of restoring the education of medical students at a time when it was severely affected.

“Prof. Silva failed to represent the university students at a time when they were attacked and remanded during their struggle for the right to education. He ignored the several requests made by us for a discussion on this contentious issue. Prof. Silva’s response is nothing but PRO-SAITM and is currently attempting to dilute or downgrade the standards of medical education and will result in the setting up of private medical universities. He should be removed from his post and replaced by a better informed and impartial officer,” he said.