Trinco university campus faces uncertain future

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 25 December 2002, 01:49 GMT]
In a meeting held at Trincomalee Sri Koneswara Hindu College hall Monday evening, leading educationists, citizens and heads of schools in the Trincomalee district expressed serious concern over the lack of support by the University Grants Commission and the Administration of the Eastern University on developing Trincomalee campus of the East University of Sri Lanka to a quaity academic institution, sources said.

In the meeting presided by Mr.S.Thandauthapani, Principal of the Trincomalee Koneswara Hindu College, several speakers urged the intelligentsia of Trincomalee to intervene and safeguard the Trincomalee campus from closure due to indifferent attitude shown by the administration of the Eastern University of Sri Lanka and central government controlled UGC.

The Affiliated University College that was established in April 1993 in Trincomalee and later affiliated with the Eastern University of Sri Lanka (EUSL) in April 1996. It was belatedly elevated to the status of a Campus in middle of this year after prolonged agitation triggered by long felt need of a university in Trincomalee.

Leading attorney-at-law Ms Subashini Chitravelu said that though a campus was given to Trincomalee, the UGC and the administration haven't done a even a fraction of what is required to build and maintain a quality campus. Unprecedented high level of administrative lethargy, poor planning and insufficient financial support have contributed to the deteriorating state of affairs prevailing in the campus now, she added.

"University of Sri Lanka The Universities Act No 16 of 1978, as amended by the Act No: 07 of 1985 specify that a Dean of a Campus shall be an ex-officio member of the University Senate. The Dean of the Trincomalee campus has not been given full membership in the Senate and Council of the East University of Sri Lanka in terms of the laws and regulations governing this matter as well as the practice that had been followed by other universities in strict compliance with the relevant law," said five leading citizens of Trincomalee Messrs K.Sivapalan (lawyer), Ms Subashini (lawyer), Dr.K.Thiayagaraja (Deputy Secretary, NEPC), Rev.Sr M.Therese Ranee (Principal, St Mary's College) and Mr.S.Thandauthapani, (Principal, Koneswara Hindu College) in a memorandum to the Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University.

"Now the people of Trincomalee yearn when this campus is going to get the required infrastructure facilities and good administration. The Eastern University of Sri Lanka can learn some good lessons of governance from the Jaffna University and upgrade the Trincomalee campus like the Vavuniya Campus which has developed so much and able to conduct its convocation too," said Dr.K.Thiagarajah, Deputy Secretary of the North East Provincial Council.

He added politicians of Trincomalee have done little to raise the concern of the public to the Government officials overseeing the UGC.

Trincomalee district political head of the LTTE Mr.Tilak, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) parliamentarian Mr.K.Thurairetnasingham, Attorney-at-Law Mr.K.Sivapalan and several others also spoke.

A nine-member delegation was nominated to meet the Vice Chancellor of the East University of Sri Lanka to discuss the necessary steps to develop the Trincomalee campus to a minimum standard. The attendees decided to convene a followup meeting to decide on future course of action, if satisfactory progress is not made soon, sources said.