Shortage Of 1200 Lecturers For Universitities
By Indika Sri Aravinda
The Higher Education Ministry says there is a shortage of 1200 lecturers at universities around the country.
High Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Jayantha Navaratne says there are 4200 lecturers at local universities.
He said that in order to fill the gap created by the shortage of lecturers, the Higher Education Ministry has decided to recruit part-time lecturers.
Navaratne said that the part–time lecturers will be recruited among experienced applicants from the relevant fields.
The major shortage was noted in the Arts, Engineering, Medical, IT and Management streams.
The Higher Education Ministry will also look at recruiting lecturers from among qualified Sri Lankan lecturers who are working overseas.
Navaratne said that students who successfully complete university studies will also be recruited as lecturers for Rs. 55,000 to fill the existing vacancies.
None ‘working overseas’ will return to the beaurocratic/political cesspit of university management of sri lanka – after havig experinced discipline and fairness abroad.
Is it another tactick for the FUTA action? good, will see how foreign lectures will recruit to the local universities under law salaries. British government already anounced and ivited 500 Sri Lankan acadamic with job placement under the four fields in UK. To be carefully handlle Local acadamia without pool.
It is true that there is a large number of academic vacancies in Sri Lankan universities. The main reasons for this situation are low salaries and poor working conditions. The teachers’ unions have been telling this to the government for a long time but they do not seem to understand the situation. No Sri Lankan employed abroad would come back for the poultry salaries paid here. The Sri Lankan university academic salaries are the lowest even in South Asia. When we are trying to negotiate with the, the minister and his cronies become abusive. It is likely more academics will leave the universities here for better working conditions abroad.
Salary is not the main issue. There are other issues. There is no proper recuitment schem in UGC. UGC use old Schem of recuitment. It gives heavy weight for undergraduate degree class and ignor master and PhD as well as research experience. we all know that some student went abroad for the PhD without having basic degree. But they have CIMA, CMA, FCA and charted Chemistry or Engineering, they excelled in foreign universities and publish research papers in heigh ranking journals. According to law, they can not apply to the Sri Lankan universities. Second reason, there are some PhD-holders’ first degree is Engineering or Science, but their master is management or finance or other scocial sciences. They also can not apply to the SL university vacancies. When we see profile of foreign university teachers, many of them have different fields’ first degree. However, their master and PHD is relavent for current academic position. Some of Sri Lankan has above background working in foreign countries. If the Higher Education Ministry have plan to recruite such lecturers from among qualified Sri Lankan lecturers who are working overseas is great. Sri Lanka heigher education need paradim change. Therefore, UGC has to change many of their old circulations, rules and laws.