The five-year grant of no-pay leave for public servants to leave the country for foreign employment will not be allowed for lecturers of State universities by the University Grants Commission (UGC).
The majority of university lecturers are now ready to apply for this special grant offered to the public servants to go for overseas employment. If it happens, the undergraduates of State universities will be badly affected, UGC Chairman Senior Prof. Sampath Amaratunga told the Sunday Observer.
Consequently, there would be a severe shortage of lecturers in State universities before long and no immediate replacements are possible at this critical hour. Therefore, the UGC has decided not to grant that special privilege to university lecturers by now, he said.
Prof. Amaratunga said at present there is a shortage of university lecturers even for several newly- introduced degree courses at State universities.
The World Bank had earlier agreed to give Sri Lanka Rs. 3,000 million for the recruitment of lecturers to the universities and providing other essential facilities to the State university system but unfortunately, that decision has been suspended now.