COPE directs UGC to collect Rs 2Bn from lecturers

The Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) has instructed the University Grants Commission (UGC) to collect the due Rs. 2 billion from lecturers who did not return to the country after leaving for higher education.

This was instructed when the UGC was summoned before the COPE recently to look into issues in the university system and higher education in the country.

It was revealed at the meeting that only 84 of the 617 lecturers who went abroad have made the relevant payments so far.  The committee has highlighted the need to recover this amount from the relevant guarantors. The UGC was given a month’s time to state measures taken in this regard to the committee.

The COPE also instructed the UGC to prepare and publicise within one month the legal provisions to prevent the inappropriate use of Dr. and Professor titles awarded by various institutions.  

The committee noted an increase in the misuse of doctor and professor titles due to the lack of proper regulation.

The Chairman of the UGC Prof. Sampath Amarathunga pointed out that there is no legal provision for the commission to take action for this. COPE urged the UGC to immediately intervene and present legal changes required within a month.

The absence of a proper system to confirm the attendance of university lecturers for the purpose of payment was discussed and the COPE instructed the UGC to prepare a system without delay to confirm the attendance of university lecturers.

It has been decided to summon the UGC again in two months to review the progress of implementing all these recommendations.

Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Eran Wickramaratne, Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya and Madhura Withanage were present at the Committee meeting held under the Chairmanship of Prof. Ranjith Bandara.