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Students protest OUSL’s alarming increase in Course fees
View(s):The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL), the country’s premier open and distance learning hub, is at the centre of a battle between student groups and management, with students charged a staggering increase in fees, in an apparent attempt by management to privatise the semi-government university, while management says it cannot bear the increasing visiting Lecturer salaries and cost to maintain 65 academic programmes.
Last week, the Open University’s Student Collective (OUSC) protested in Colombo, demanding the authorities to decrease the fee, while providing them an opportunity to a discussion with higher education authorities and the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the OUSL.
OUSC Convener, Amila Sandaruwan said course fees have been increased by 40%, and plans are afoot to increase it by 120%.
Degrees of anger against hike in Course fees - Undergraduates this week protest in front of the University Grants Commission against the decision to increase course fees at the Open University. Pic by Nilan Maligaspe
“For the last several years, the Engineering Degree’s annual cost was Rs 25,000, which increased to Rs 38,000 last year, which was understandable. However, this year, it was further increased to Rs 62,000 per annum, which most students are struggling to pay,” he said.
He said the OUSL has 6 regional centres and 19 study centres island-wide, and mostly conduct distance learning for many students who come from low to middle income families. The regional centres are in Kandy, Matara, Jaffna, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Kurunegala and Batticaloa.
“The OUSL is now not open to children of farmers, fishermen or labourers. Many students have now dropped out due to this increase,” the Convener said.
He said, previously students bore only 33% of the total course fee, while now they have to bear 90% of it.
“Four students have been arrested accused of being students activists. There is no student union in the OUSL, and that is why we formed a student collective
More than 15 students who raised this issue have been suspended without even a disciplinary inquiry, or a committee appointed to look into it,” he said.
He said that, despite requests, the VC has not called for a single discussion. However, at this week’s protest, OUSL authorities assured a meeting on December 17.
OUSL’s Deputy VC, Dr Janaka Liyanagama told Education Times that the university has to bear increased expenditure with a high visiting academic pay.
“The University Grants Commission, in a circular, recommended the increase of visiting academic pay. A postgraduateLecturer charges about Rs 2,500 per hour, while even undergraduate Lecturer fees have increased threefold from Rs 500 previously,” he said.
He said the State only pays the salaries of the permanent staff and that the OUSL with its academic programmes increased to 65, have to get more visiting Lecturers in the respective fields.
The OUSL has four Faculties, namely Humanities & Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, Engineering Technology and Education.
“Apart from that, the OUSL has to bear examination expenditure, utility expenses, salaries of visiting Lecturers and even for advertisements,” he said.
Dr Liyanagama said the OUSL’s four-year Engineering Degree is recognized by the Institute of Engineers, and is on par with those offered by Moratuwa, Peradeniya and Ruhuna Universities.
“The cost for the Degree is about Rs 240,000, and we are charging Rs 60,000 per year, which means students have to pay Rs 5,000 per month. At present, parents spend more than Rs 5,000 for Advanced Level tuition. We took this decision as a majority of our students are employed,” he said.
-Nadia Fazlulhaq