News
GL tells Kiriella, university councils do not elect VCs
By Saman Indrajith
The government was accused yesterday of misleading Parliament on a recently introduced method of selecting Vice Chancellors of universities.
Chief Opposition Whip and Kandy District MP Lakshman Kiriella said that the government had done away with an age old practice of selecting three candidates through a vote by the university councils for the post of vice chancellors from applicants. There after those three names were forwarded for the Senate approval and sent to the President to select one of them. “That was how the VCs for the universities were appointed. Now this government has introduced a new method of giving marks through interviews. This does not ensure independence of universities.”
Education Minister Prof GL Peiris:
I answered this question last week too. No such thing has happened.
Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella:
Do you still have votes in the university councils?
Minister Prof Peiris:
That would be different from university to university.
Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella:
I am asking you whether you still have the votes in university councils to select VCs.
Minister Prof Peiris:
The university councils do not elect the VCs by vote.
Chief Opposition Whip Kiriella:
You are misleading the House. I too have the experience as a higher education minister. Selecting three names from the university councils from vote to be nominated for the post of VC was the tradition. That was the system since the times of the JR Jayewardene government to the yahapalana government. You are an Oxford scholar. You were a VC once. How were you selected then? Why do you not see the injustice being done in the universities? Do you not agree that the university system is being politicized?
Minister Prof Peiris:
I was selected out of three names sent to the President by the Senate. There was no vote in the council to select those names.
The issue of appointing VCs came up after Ratnapura District SJB MP Hesha Withanage demanded to know as to why the government was delaying appointing a VC to the Sabaragmuwa University. Prof Sunil Santha was the VC and his first term was over many months back. He has been selected to the post again, but his appointment is not given. He played a pioneer role in getting a medical faculty to that university. Instead of giving him the appointment, an acting VC has been appointed. Is there a political hand blocking his appointment for the second term?
Minister Prof Peiris: We do not make appointments of VCs on the basis of political reasons.
The book “Rathuwewi Mihimadala”, written based on the life story of Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Leader of the Democratic Left Front, was launched on Friday [August 28] at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH) in Colombo, with the participation of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Speaking to the media afterwards about Vasudeva Nanayakkara, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“Vasudeva Nanayakkara is a prominent figure in Sri Lankan politics, particularly within the left-wing political movement. There were several influential figures within the left movement, and that left-wing influence also contributed to bringing the country to where it is today. Politically, there were areas where we agreed and areas where we did not. However, I have great respect for the contribution made by Vasudeva Nanayakkara to left-wing politics. When I entered Parliament in 2020, Vasudeva Nanayakkara was also in Parliament. We sat in the same row, and we spoke about many important as well as interesting moments in his political career. I believe some of these experiences have also been included in this book.”
The event was attended by members of the Maha Sangha, Minister of Justice Harshana Nanayakkara, former President Maithripala Sirisena, former Speakers Karu Jayasuriya and Chamal Rajapaksa, as well as party members, family members and friends.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Latest News
Sun directly overhead Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon today (30)
The sun is going to be directly over the latitudes of Sri Lanka from 28th of August to 07th of September due to its apparent southward relative motion.
The nearest places of Sri Lanka over which the sun is overhead today (30) are Mannar, Periyamadu, Puliyankulam, Welioya and
Pulmoddai about 12.11 noon.
(AFP) Sri Lanka’s maritime authorities were monitoring a fleet of 11 US-sanctioned Iranian oil tankers just off the island’s southern coast, the foreign minister said Wednesday.
The tankers were spotted close to the Galle harbour where an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was sunk by a US submarine in March, killing 104 sailors. Sri Lanka’s navy rescued 32 Iranian sailors from that frigate.
Iranian vessels have been in limbo, unable to return to their home port because of a US blockade.
Sri Lanka’s Foreign minister Vijitha Herath said the tankers were in international waters where they had freedom of navigation.
“These ships are away from our territorial waters… we have no hold on them, nor have we facilitated them,” Herath told AFP.
The military deployed reconnaissance aircraft and patrol boats to monitor the vessels outside Sri Lanka’s 12-nautical-mile territorial waters, a military official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
“There is no indication of any ship-to-ship transfer of oil or illegal discharge of pollutants, so there is no basis for Sri Lankan authorities to take action against them,” the official said.
Many Iranian merchant vessels moved east towards the Strait of Malacca and Singapore due to US sanctions, while several remained near Sri Lankan waters, authorities said.
Sri Lankan officials said Washington had not formally notified Colombo about sanctioned Iranian-flagged vessels
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