INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
During a meeting of the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE), it was revealed that ten students of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura
were unjustly charged a monetary penalty in connection with damages caused to a university hostel due to a student clash.The committee
pointed out that the amount charged was three times the actual value of the damaged university property, which is the maximum amount that
can be legally charged, along with an additional surcharge of 25%, the Parliamentary Communication Department said in a
statement.Accordingly, the Vice-Chancellor of the university informed the committee that if there has been an error in the calculation of
the charges, steps would be taken to rectify it.The Chair of the committee further instructed the officials to reconsider the fairness of
imposing the fine only on one party involved in the clash, and not both parties.These matters were discussed during the COPE meeting held on
the June 20 at the Parliament under the Chairmanship of Dr
Nishantha Samaraweera, MP, to examine the audit reports for the years 2022 and 2023 and the current performance of the University of Sri
Jayewardenepura, the statement added.The committee held extensive discussions on various issues, including the composition of the university
staff, the financial situation, the condition of buildings and constructions, and the relationship between the students and the university
administration, emphasizing the need to maintain a student-friendly environment.It was also disclosed during the committee meeting that the
Committee members raised concerns over releasing a person holding a full-time position without consulting the Ministry, describing such
decisions as problematic.Responding to this, the Registrar stated that the bursar was released in a manner that would not hinder her
Nevertheless, the committee was informed of the number of leave days obtained by the bursar and that there had been 44 days in 2024 for
which no arrival or departure entries had been recorded
The Chair instructed the Registrar to rectify this information.The committee also had an in-depth discussion about the recruitment of a
project manager without a formal public announcement or a proper application process, which was deemed a deviation from the accepted
recruitment procedures, it added.Accordingly, the committee chairman directed the Secretary to the Ministry to investigate and prepare a
10,500 had been charged per student for the 2024 external degree convocation, over Rs
fees in a more affordable manner for students
The university administration informed the committee that they have decided to reduce the amount charged for convocations from this year
onwards, it further added.Meanwhile, the committee also held lengthy discussions on the existing and past problematic conditions related to
Attorney-at-Law, Ruwan Mapalagama, Asitha Niroshana Egoda Vithana, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiaratchi, and Lakmali Hemachandra,
Attorney at Law participated in this committee meeting.
