Sri Lanka universities normal, officials say despite union's claim that 95% teachers resigned

Sri Lanka Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake says that the Ministry is listing the names of the university lecturers who submitted letters to resign from voluntary posts without informing three months in advance as required by the rules and regulations.


The Minister said that some of the lecturers who submitted resignation letters were withdrawing them citing that they did so due to pressure from certain parties.

The Chairman of the University Grants Commission Prof. Gamini Samaranayake said that the lecturers performed their duties normally since they are bound to do so until their resignations are approved by the authorities.

He said that the academic affairs in the universities were normal despite the trade union action.

The Minister also said that other university teachers will be given appointments to substitute for the teachers who resigned from the voluntary posts.

The Minister pointed out that the conspiracy of a section of the university teachers to embarrass the government has failed.

Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa also recently pointed out that the strike of the university lecturers aimed at creating confusion in other sections of the public sector.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Federation of University Teachers' Associations Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Devasiri assured that 95% of the university teachers had resigned from the voluntary posts and urged the government to solve their problem without pushing them to an overall strike that would paralyze the university system.