COPE report on higher education institutions’ financial accounts reveals high degree of ‘jilmarts’
View(s):Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) Chairman D.E.W. Gunasekara this week submitted its second report on several higher educational institutions’ financial accounts which came under its scrutiny.
Following are highlights of the problems related to the accounts of these institutions along with the COPE’s observations.
Institution: Kothalawala Defence University
Issue: A lecturer had served in the University for nearly one year on forged higher educational certificates, drawing salaries and allowances of Rs 544,484.
Observation: Legal action initiated against the lecturer
Institution: Eastern University of Sri Lanka
Issue: Medical equipment procured to the value of Rs 13 million in 2012, without following proper procurement procedure.
Observation; COPE of the view that the University resorts to criminal investigations, and take disciplinary action against officials involved in this issue.
Institution: Open University
Issue: A sum of Rs 73,209,309 has to be recovered on breach of Agreements and Bonds by 31.12.2011.
Observation: The CAO/AO stated that Rs 40.5 million had already been recovered, and action taken to file cases against the recent defaulters.
Institution: The National Institute of Education
Issue: Teachers’ Guides and Syllabuses remaining in the Stores without being distributed among the schools.
Observations: The Committee directed the CAO/AO to conduct a Board of Survey, and to take action to dispose of all outdated books after obtaining the approval of the Board of Directors
Institution: University of Colombo –School of Computing
Issue: A sum of Rs 15,178,886 is receivable from academics and non-academics for breach of agreements.
Observation: CAO stated that legal action has been taken against some of them, while some have agreed to pay the due amounts in installments.
Institution: University of Jaffna
Issue: Advances made to different parties for various purposes amounting to Rs 207,497,561 had not been recovered.
Observations: CAO/AO directed to submit a report to the COPE with a breakdown of the amounts outstanding from the respective institutions/persons, within a month.
Issue: Twelve fingerprint scanners purchased for Rs 779,520 and not used to record arrivals and departures of university staff.
Observations: The COPE wanted the Vice Chancellor, as an example, to use this machine to record her attendance, and report the progress after one month to the COPE.
Institution: University of Colombo
Issue: Research allowances amounting to Rs 48,488,274 paid to 497 lecturers without obtaining the approval of a research committee.
Observations: -
Institution: Rajarata University of Sri Lanka
Issue: Rs 16,036,164 paid for consultancy services without approval from the Dept. of Management Services.
Observations: CAO/AO directed to follow procedures.
The school had invested a sum of Rs. 347,897,889 without obtaining the Treasury approval.
Institution: Ruhunu University
Issue: 23 academic and 117 non academic vacancies to be filled.
Observations: The CAO/AO stated that they were undergoing difficulties in recruiting academics to the Engineering & Medical Faculties on the prevailing salary scales.
Institution: Sri Jayawardenapura University
Issue: Doctorate awarded to a foreigner by the Hema Ellawala foundation, contrary to approved procedures and provisions of the University Act.
Observation CAO/AO directed to submit a report to the COPE on action taken against the responsible officers, and a schedule of the Honorary Degrees awarded by the University for the last five years.
Issue: Computer Information System established for Rs 4,003,580 and US$ 28,101, in 2010, not utilised. The CAO/AO stated that the project had been abandoned midway.
Observations: Non
Institution: Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture
Issue: Two entities established and two lecturers and a coordinator recruited at Rs 2,857,220 as allowances, contrary to University Act No.16 of 1978.
Observation: The CAO/AO stated that by an error they had established these centers, and by now they had been closed down.
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