University lecturers will launch a one-day strike today (09) covering all state universities, citing the shortage of academic staff and several long-standing issues in the university system, the Secretary of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), Senior Lecturer Charudatta Ilangasinghe, said.
He made the remarks at a media briefing held in Colombo yesterday (08).
Mr. Ilangasinghe said the country is currently facing difficulties in properly maintaining its 17 state universities, and therefore, the proposal announced by the President to establish 50 new universities is not practical under the present circumstances.
He stressed that existing universities should first be strengthened and their longstanding issues addressed before considering the establishment of additional universities.
