Even though the repercussions of the story that I’m going to narrate are a bit different from the normal stories that have the same instigation as this, this particular story differentiates itself with its aftermath. As all of us know the university lecturers of state universities abdicated and got resigned from their volunteer service commitments on the 9th of May 2011. It has been two months since the lecturers waved their last greeting to students concluding their lectures. Ever since, the university students who are always regarded as the leaders of the young generation, have been suffering. So I think it is high time for us to get together in order to inform the public about the current situation of the pioneers of the young generation.
Even though the approval of the University Grant Commission is sent to the related authorities they simply ignore the problem. The discussions drag on for two months. Then on the 24th of March 2009 the lecturers together with the help of executive technicians and other essential professionals manage to procure a written document which consists of a promise from the National Salary and Cadre Commission that they would look into this problem. As usual all the promises were just a mirage. They disappeared into thin air as just as a puff of smoke. Eventually in the year of 2009 at the presidential election the lecturers go and meet Minister Basil Rajapakse with the same objective. It once again becomes just a mere dream, a dream that never comes true, a dream that is blowing in the wind.
The consequence of the problem was never envisaged. The lecturers estrange from the lecture halls. But that was just for one day. They are highly influenced that they would be gifted in the next budget. So they agree. Before the two parties enter into the treaty the minister of Higher Education, S.B. Dissanayake makes a special announcement in the parliament. In his speech he affirms that a Sri Lankan lecturer’s salary should be rocketed in order to be compatible with the normal salary scale of university lecturers of the South Asian continent. He is so intent about the matter and further proclaims that it should be increased up to the level of two hundred thousand rupees per month. But this amount is much higher than the requested amount. What a paradox!
But as I said above these attempts were not successful at all. They conduct a boycott in order to attain the attention of the relevant authorities. It is held on the 15th of March 2011. But the response of the minister of Higher Education is as fast as lightning. Lightning reminds me of another idiomatic expression. Every dark cloud has a silver lining it is said. But this question always assaults me. Where is the silver line of this dark cloud? As the minister is so eager he comes up with a solution. He requests the lecturers to come and meet him on the 17th of April. At that particular meeting he confesses that he really agrees and compromises with the requested conditions of the lecturers. He also promises them that he will grant permission from the president for a special discussion regarding this matter. A letter is also sent to the president’s office via the higher education ministry. But as these people always become the victims of circumstances they never get a chance to meet the president, nor they get the confirmation letter from the president’s office saying that their letter was received.
The story ends at this point. It ends with a bleak ending. The lecturers resolve to continue the strike. After following the above scenario properly no one will rebuff the fair strike of the lecturers. In the letter that was sent to the president it is clearly stated that at the prevailing situation a junior lecturer is entitled to a salary of 27,000 Rs while a senior professor is only given a salary of 57,000 Rs with an additional benefit of 25% augmented with the basic scale. The most hilarious aspect of this is that the students who are trained and given the appropriate education by the lecturers they themselves are recruited to job opportunities where their starting salary scheme is higher than of a lecturer; who showed them the path. It is absurd and also reflects that the lecturers have been penalized. They are not only deprived of financial means but also other incentives such as non financial motivations given to other government officials are not given to them. Medical facilities, the opportunity for their children to acquire admission to popular schools, housing loans and other bank loans, all there are not within the reach of the lecturers. Their car permit has been protracted for twelve years, while their own students enjoy a six year car permit. How unfair is this system for the lecturers. Shouldn’t they be emancipated with the same rights for salary?
We have been discussing about the beginning of the problem. We should also scrutinize the repercussions of neglecting this problem for a long time. The governments played the role of bigots over this matter over a long period of time. This has created a tremendous loop hole in the education system where they cannot sustain lecturers in the country. Many migrate due to this very same problem; the rest that stays behind in the country but never join the university staff. The tremendous effort behind this escapade is not to lavish money of the public but to uphold the prevailing status of the university system.
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