Vice Chancellor Stakes

March 16, 2013, 9:53 pm

Professor Savitri Goonesekere, a former Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo who had also served in the past as a member of the University Grants Commission has spoken out loud and clear about some unsavory goings on over the appointment of a new Vice Chancellor to the University of Colombo. The spouse of that university’s previous Vice Chancellor, who is now Chairperson of the University Grants Commission, is one of three applicants for the job. UGC Chairperson, Prof. Shanika Hirimburegama, is on public record saying that there is no bar to her husband applying for the vacant position. We would agree, provided he has the necessary qualifications for the job, as advertised, and his wife plays no part whatever in the selection process. At least the first of these criteria, it appears, has not been fulfilled.

Only one of the applicants has the qualifications specified in the notice for the job and that is not the UGC Chairperson’s spouse. The University Council, without satisfying itself on whether the applicants are qualified or not has sent all three names to the President to make a choice. Prof. Goonesekere says that this was not the previous practice and given her eminence and previous experience, she should know.

All right thinking people in this country must agree that those appointed to any position of responsibility and authority must properly fulfill the responsibilities of the job and not merely enjoy the remuneration and other perquisites it entails. Unfortunately this is too often not the case with those installed in jobs they are not capable of doing only doing the bidding of their masters. We have in recent years seen patronage appointments to very important positions with loyalty and services to the appointer and the political party he/she represents being the main criterion for such choices. While it would be unrealistic to expect political opponents to be appointed to high posts in the state sector, the people of this country have the right to expect that suitable and independent people would be appointed to head institutions like universities that are expected to be autonomous. This would also apply to the financial services sector and organizations connected to what the old left parties used to call the ``commanding heights of the economy.’’ Not only must proper appointments be made to such positions, but also those appointed should be left to do their jobs without undue interference.

Prof. Goonesekere has said in her article which we publish today that two of the aspirants for the position of Vice Chancellor or the University of Colombo ``are reported to be Senior Lecturers Grade 11, the lowest position in the state university system….’’ If that is correct, and if as alleged they do not have the qualifications for promotion to the immediately higher Grade 1 position, why did they apply to be Vice Chancellor? It needs no rocket science to figure out that they had hopes of being chosen in the context of a politicized selection process. Such a situation that would discourage able and qualified applicants must be deplored. Prof. Goonesekere has made the point that only the conflict of interest aspect of the forthcoming appointment, in that the UGC Chairperson’s spouse is an applicant, had figured in media reports on this matter. The equally or more important question of whether two Grade 11 Senior Lecturers were qualified in terms of the advertisement had not been adequately focused on, she has said. However that be, it has been reported that the names of all three applicants have been sent by the University Council to the President for consideration. The law empowers the Council to make three nominations to the UGC. Prof. Goonesekere says that ``it is the UGC that evaluates the applications in the light of the Council’s views and recommends one person (emphasis hers) to the President for the appointment to the post.’’ She says this was the past practice of the UGC including when she was a member from 1994 to 1999. But the question remains whether this has since changed and this is the first occasion when three names have been submitted.

We like to think, although we do not know, that Prof. Hirimburegama did not participate in any discussion evaluating the candidates at the UGC. That she should not is self evident; and we are sure that a senior academic who has served as Vice Chancellor of what was once a part of the single University of Ceylon would be well aware of that. But we have in the recent past heard it said at highest levels of government that Dr. Shirani Bandaranayake should not serve as Chief Justice and ex officio Chairperson of the Judicial Service Commission with administrative authority over the magistrate when her husband was arraigned before a magistrate’s court. Even if Prof. Hirimburegama did not participate in any discussion or decision at the level of the UGC, the fact remain that her husband’s name was one of three submitted by the UGC to the President. So is sauce for the Shirani Bandaranayake goose sauce for the Shanika Hirimburegama gander?

The question also arises on why the University Council submitted the names of unqualified candidates for consideration for appointment by the President. Is it not the business of the Council to properly evaluate applicants and reject those who do not qualify? If there were no qualified applicants, it would make sense to invite applications anew. It is also disturbing that only one qualified applicant was willing to take up what is undoubtedly a most challenging job. That would suggest that the Vice Chancellor’s job is considered a can of worms by many in the academic community and few would aspire to it under present conditions. Given the paucity of funding for the universities, ever-simmering student issues and interference at a political level, it would be a brave soul who would agree to pick up the gauntlet. Whatever the failures at UGC and University Council level, we hope the President will carefully consider the hitherto unpublished aspects of this matter that have now surfaced and do the right thing by the country.