Video: SB says "we spend around 5%"

27 September 2012 08:32 am

Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake said today that Sri Lanka spends 5% of its Gross Domestic Product on Education which is much higher than the amounts spent for education in certain developed countries

Referring to trade union action of FUTA he said it was unfair to resort to this trade union action as their salaries had been increased by 83.61% together with the increase scheduled for October thus, senior professors enjoyed a salary of more than Rs.170, 000 with all allowances which was higher than the Supreme Court Judge and a salary of a lecturer had been increased by 54.03% which was more than Rs.75, 000.

He accused the trade unions of having become politicised and only 5% of the academics who had other agendas resorted to this type of action. The other 95% had realised that this trade union action was unfair.

“We are happy that 95% of the lecturers have realised that this trade union action is unfair and gradually started attending lectures. We are ready to have discussions with them at any time and resolve this issue on mutual grounds. We will have discussions with them after their ongoing protest March. We are ready to increase the allocation of the GDP for education as per international standards” he added. (Ajith Siriwardana)