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Narada won’t go despite concerns
Narada Dissanayake, elder son of Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake, is to continue to hold the post as the secretary of the Quality Assurance and Accreditation Committee established by the Higher Education Ministry. The appointment has caused concern in many quarters after the Sunday Times exposed it last week.
However, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Sunil Jayantha Nawaratne defended Narada Dissanayake’s appointment, saying he was a qualified individual, who was working on a voluntary basis and reporting to work once a month when the committee convened. According to Dr. Nawaratne, there was no officer in the ministry capable of taking down minutes of the committee meetings in English other than the minister’s son who was not an official of the ministry.
“He has studied in an Australian University and knows the Australian system and knows about their teaching methods and quality. So he is able to make valuable contributions,” he said. “If ministers can appoint their wives as their private secretaries, what is wrong in this appointment?” he asked.