Medical fraternity split over recent awarding of ‘Clinical Professorships’ by SLCOG
Controversy surrounds the recent awarding of ‘Clinical Professorships’ by the Sri Lanka College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SLCOG), with the medical fraternity split over whether it was acceptable or not.
Sixteen Consultant Obstetricians and Gynaecologists including three academics in the university system were conferred the ‘title’ of ‘Clinical Professor of Obstetrics & Gynaecology’ for the ‘SLCOG’ at its inauguration of the 54th Scientific Congress on November 26 at the BMICH in Colombo.
A certificate in the possession of the Sunday Times states that the conferment of the title is being carried out by the SLCOG by the “powers vested upon the council of the SLCOG”.
The main bone of contention was whether an institution other than a university could award professorships and whether there was a major rupture in protocols.
There are two sets of medical practitioners:
- Doctors (Senior Lecturers and Professors) coming under the Higher Education Ministry who join the universities and teach and train students in the medical faculties and when these students do rotations in the professorial units of teaching hospitals in their 5th and final year. These doctors remain in the specific city where the university is located and are not subjected to transfers.
- Specialist doctors coming under the Health Ministry attached to teaching hospitals who teach and train 3rd and 4th year medical students. These doctors are considered ‘extended faculty’ by the universities. They have served in different parts of the country and are subjected to transfer.
- As the medical fraternity was abuzz over the conferment of professorships, the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) which includes all streams of academia, sent a letter this week to the SLCOG noting “grave concern” over the matter.
“We believe that the SLCOG is aware that ‘professor’ is an institutional title reserved for academics serving within universities and that there is a rigorous process of evaluation which involves multiple committees and multiple stages of assessment before the title is granted to any individual,” FUTA stated, in the letter copied to numerous professional colleges and the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).
FUTA reiterated that “professorships cannot be ‘awarded’, they must be earned”. It is also a title that ceases when such an individual leaves the particular university that has conferred the professorship – the only exception being an academic who is granted an emeritus professorship which also involves a rigorous process of evaluation conducted by the Senate, the highest academic body in the university and the Council, the highest governing body in the university.
The SLCOG has no legal or institutional mandate to cover such professorships. It has set “a damaging precedent” by awarding these professorships because this action can potentially open the floodgates to many other non-university bodies conferring similar titles – leading to a situation where the title ‘professor’ loses its meaning and value. The SLCOG’s “ill-conceived action” can also lead to a situation where the title ‘professor’ in Sri Lankan academia is devalued regionally and internationally, states FUTA.
While several other academics also expressed similar views, there were dissenting voices arising from among specialist doctors.
Opposing the breaking of protocol long before the conferment of the titles, SLCOG Past President, Professor Emeritus and former Director of the Post-Graduate Institute of Medicine (PGIM), Prof. Jayantha Jayawardana had told the SLCOG that there are no provisions in the SLCOG’s Articles to confer Clinical Professorships. It can confer only Honorary Fellowships based on an approved Regulation at an annual general meeting (AGM).
“The general membership was not consulted on this subject nor regulations approved at an AGM or a special general meeting (SGM). The marking scheme has not been finalised and approved in consultation with outside independent experts nor approved by the general membership or the Registrar of Companies under which the SLCOG is set up,” he had pointed out.
Explaining that evaluations too would not be performed by a panel of independent external experts to ensure transparency, standards and quality as done in universities, he has alleged that the evaluations would be by the SLCOG President and a few SLCOG members handpicked by him, which amounts to a conflict of interest.
“In my opinion, if the scheme is implemented it may be the recipe for another disaster in the academic and professional community with major repercussions. It may tarnish the image of Sri Lanka and devalue the recognition and prestige of the title,” Prof. Jayawardana had warned.
Looking at the United Kingdom, Prof. Jayawardana said that the title of Professor in Fetal Medicine (to the person paid by the National Health Service – NHS) in the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was conferred by the university and not by the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists (RCOG) nor the NHS. “At the Lady Ridgeway Hospital for Children (LRH), there is one specialist with the title of ‘Endowment Professor’ awarded by a university but not by the relevant professional body nor the Health Ministry,” he said.
With regard to the title of Professor given by the PGIM sometime ago to three people, he says the scheme had to be discontinued as per instruction of the university and the UGC since it was considered irregular. The PGIM as per the ordinance had no mandate to award these professorships.
“Saddened” by this development, another Emeritus Professor and Past President of the SLCOG, Prof. Hemantha Senanayake, states that he is concerned over how the issue has been handled.
“It was not on the agenda of the council meeting, where it was presented at the tail-end, read twice and the Minute confirmed. Some of the members of the council had left by then. Therefore, there was hardly any discussion and it was announced to the membership that the proposal was ‘unanimously agreed on by the council’. A move with such far-reaching implications for the SLCOG and the country should have been discussed extensively before implementation,” he says.
Prof. Senanayake states that there is rigorous evaluation before an applicant is promoted as a professor in Sri Lankan universities, the evaluation takes months, there are criteria for the appointment of assessors to minimize bias and the applicant also has to face an interview that includes representatives from the university senate and the council and the UGC.
“I do not think that the SLCOG had the capability or the will to conduct an evaluation of such rigour,” he says, adding that as many as eight past Presidents of the SLCOG did not attend the awarding ceremony.
A clinician attached to the Health Department also adds his voice against such conferment of titles, pointing out that “when we join, we know our career pathway, like those who join universities know theirs”.
He says that calling himself a professor does not give him any advantage and he does not consider it an appreciation either. “I am proud of my title at the Health Department. If anybody wants to appreciate us for what we have done (clinical undergraduate and post-graduate teaching), there are many things they can do, but certainly not giving us a title of professor.”
| It’s not an arbitrary decision but move to appreciate hard work: SLCOG PresidentThe SLCOG has the right to confer this title to specialists who give yeoman service but get no appreciation, no recognition, no post and no title, said the person amidst the controversy, SLCOG President Dr. Pradeep De Silva.Refuting allegations that it was a rushed and arbitrary decision, he said that the 27-member council of the SLCOG which represents its 320-odd members, gave the nod for it. The council includes four eminent university academics who are professors. Everybody agreed and it is minuted.The SLCOG gave a title as opposed to the university system where it is a post which goes with a large salary increase, he said, pointing out that the SLCOG debated this issue. “We had a strict marking scheme similar to the UGC and we even wrote to the Secretary of the Higher Education Ministry and the UGC Chairman seeking ‘constructive criticism’ but there was no response. This was not an ad hoc decision.”Do you know for what some of the applicants for professorships in universities get their marks, he challenged, pointing out that it was for “work” such as teaching Sinhalese students English; taking students on a trip; being a warden, etc. Whether it is an article or an abstract, if the applicant has his/her name, he/she gets marks, also whether you are the 1st or 8th author. All the senior university people have their names on such research, while it is their juniors who have done the hard work. Dr. De Silva reiterated that the SLCOG implemented this appraisal scheme to encourage continuous professional development among junior clinicians so that they would read up on scientific material and get their research published; and to appreciate all the hard work they do. “When the pandemic hit, clinicians worked arduously with the Health Ministry to bring out a Vaccination Guideline for expectant mothers. We are the one and only country where there is a National Policy now with a 99% vaccine coverage among these mothers and no deaths for two months,” he said. The SLCOG called for applications and nearly all who applied, 16 of them, were eligible to get the title, after strict evaluation, he said, adding that to encourage clinical teaching, institutions affiliated to American universities are entitled to use ‘Associate Professor’ as a designation for their names. | |
| Awarding of professorships to specialists by PGIM should not have been scrappedIt was a shame that the awarding of professorships to specialists initiated by the PGIM was scrapped. The mechanism should have been redressed and fine-tuned to recognize specialists, for it is a fact that they play a major role in teaching medical students in the 3rd and 4th years in their wards, another source who did not apply for the SLCOG professorship said. Several others also agreed with this view. The PGIM has now initiated workshops for Examiners who are specialists but not in the university system and also training of trainers which are being widely accepted by specialists. Currently, only certificates of attendance are being issued but the PGIM is looking at a longer term system, the Sunday Times understands. Several other specialists also saw no harm in such a mechanism as long as there is no favouritism or pulling of strings. |
HitAd.lk is the best and biggest mobile phone market in Sri Lanka, and we guarantee you will find what you need here from our extensive listing of mobile phones for sale in Sri Lanka. Whether it’s a budget-priced smartphone for communication, or higher end features with advanced connectivity, there are many different options from which to choose from on our site!