News
Two more members of the Council of the University of Colombo quit
Protest against new VC’s appointment
Two more members of the Council of the University of Colombo, Rev. Fr. Ivan Perera, Emeritus National Director of Catholic Education and Mrs. Mano Ramanathan, a retired Senior Deputy Legal Draftsman and former Member of the Monetary Board, have resigned last week protesting against the appointment of the new Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo.
Former Vice Chacellor Chandrika Wijeyaratne was denied a second term despite her clearly topping the list of three nominations submitted by the University Grants Commission to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
Earlier two other members of the Council, Messrs. Tilak Karunaratne and Ajit Gunawardene also quit protesting against the bad appointment. Fr. Perera was the nominee of the Catholic Church to the Council.
He said in his letter that he was a member of the selection panel which, using written UGC guidelines, evaluated the three candidates in a clear and transparent manner and was surprised by the final appointment.
“It therefore means that you have lost confidence in me s well as others in the Council and I have no option but to resign from the Council,” he has told the UGC Chairman.
Expressing disappointment that the candidate who had by far obtained the best rating through a transparent process had been overlooked, Mrs. Ramanathan said this compelled her resignation “although I very much regret doing so.”
In an article written to the Colombo Telegraph and published on its website, Senior Lecturer in History of the University of Colombo, Ms. Janaki Jayawardena has described the appointment of the new VC as a “blatant violation of academic integrity.” She also says that the appointee had denied being a member of Viyath Maga in a newspaper report.
“However, he appears in the meetings organized by the President to seek support from the academic community. He was selected by the President Rajapaksa and appointed to the committee to seek a solution to the present economic crisis, out of all the economists and the management experts in this country,” she adds.
“Furthermore, the newspaper article states that he has disagreed with the marks he has scored and stated that the Council had used biased margins. The UGC circular implemented in 2020 has introduced a very rigorous process to eliminate such biases.”
If there was bias, all three candidates assessed would have suffered such bias and not only the new VC.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a high-level dialogue titled “Tourism as Soft Power and Diplomatic Capital” held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum on January 20.
The session explored how tourism functions as a strategic instrument of diplomacy by strengthening international trust, cultural exchange, and regional cooperation through mobility and people-to-people engagement. The Prime Minister shared the panel with Mr. Kuban Omiraliyev, Secretary General of the Organization of Turkic States and Mr. Meshari Alnahar – CEO Aseer Investment Company, Saudi Arabia.
Addressing global trends, the Prime Minister emphasized that Sri Lanka is an example of hope, recovery and resilience in a world of conflict demonstrating how tourism can play a critical role in a changing global environment particularly amid climate shocks, geopolitical instability, and uneven economic recovery. She noted that tourism is not only an economic sector but also a vital diplomatic bridge that supports livelihoods, builds relationships and connects people.
Drawing on Sri Lanka’s recent experience, she highlighted the country’s strong tourism recovery despite multiple crises, including the impact of Cyclone Ditwah. Transparent crisis management and strategic engagement with international partners helped sustain visitor confidence, resulting in record tourist arrivals even in challenging circumstances.
The Prime Minister also underscored the importance of green and climate friendly tourism infrastructure and underlined that Sri Lanka welcomes long term investment in tourism. She pointed out that tourism supports millions of jobs worldwide and that inclusive policies are essential to ensure fair opportunities, particularly for women and vulnerable communities.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
During an operation conducted in the dark hours of 20 Jan 26, the Sri Lanka Navy seized two (02) Indian fishing boats and apprehended seven (07) Indian fishermen while they were poaching in Sri Lankan waters, off Kovilan, Jaffna.
The seized boats and Indian fishermen was to be handed over to the Fisheries Inspector of Myliddy, Jaffna for onward legal proceedings.
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in a series of high-level bilateral meetings on January 20 on the sidelines of the 56th Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland.
The Prime Minister attended a productive bilateral meeting with Mr. Jozef Síkela, European Commissioner for International Partnerships. During the discussion, both sides focused on strengthening Sri Lanka–EU cooperation and advancing mutual interests.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya also met with Mr. Masato Kanda, President and Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), at the WEF Congress Centre. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss ongoing engagement and future collaboration between Sri Lanka and the ADB.
In addition, the Prime Minister held discussions with Mr. Hassan El Houry, Chairman of Menzies Aviation, where opportunities for collaboration in aviation services and connectivity were explored.
The Prime Minister also participated in a high-level dialogue at the Global Tourism Forum held at the Euronews Hub, Piz Buin, Davos, as part of the World Economic Forum engagements.
Dr. Anil Jayantha, Minister of Labour, and the Deputy Minister of Finance were also present at these meetings.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
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