Campus dons who went abroad cares a damn! ... and have to pay 15 crores!

Campus dons who went abroad cares a damn! ... and have to pay 15 crores!

University lecturers and other academics who have gone overseas for educational purposes and not returned to their motherland ... 519 in number owe over Rs. eighty three crores and one lakh to the government; it is stated in the committee on public enterprises (COPE) as presented to parliament yesterday (7). 

According to the report concerned, the number of university lecturers who have gone overseas and
not returned are 162 in number. It is stated in the report that for having violated the bond entered into with university authorities prior to their departure abroad they owe a sum of Rs. seventeen crores and seventy lakhs to three universities. The information forwarded yesterday to parliament was included in the commission report that are related to surveys conducted from 2017 to 2018 across 17 universities. The said report was was presented to parliament by chairman of the committee, Mr. Sunil Handunneththi (JVP). 

It is stated in the COPE report that the amount of monies paid in excess this way on behalf of allowances for studies by Peradeniya university and monies have been paid for employees provident fund and employees trust fund amounts to Rs. fifteen crores and forty three lakhs. The COPE report which points out that Rs. 5 crores and eighty three lakhs have been paid as research aid to 138 of the working staff during the period 2014 to 2017 by Jaffna university further states that results of concluding the research was at a weak level. 

In the meantime, COPE reports say that when admitting students to universities during the last four years the criterion related to in this connection had decreased and that it had remained at the level of 45 per cent in 213/2014, 43.7 per cent in 2014/2015, 42.6 per cent in 2015/2016, 43.1 per cent in 2016/2017 and 38.7 in 2017/2018. 

- Sujith Hewajulige & Arayarathna Ranabahu -