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Wednesday, 26 September 2018 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
By Ruwandi Gamage
The Ministry of Higher Education has submitted a Cabinet proposal to introduce a new Board of Governors for the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), changing its current administrative structure.
The current composition of the SLIIT Board of Directors comprises seven non-governmental officials who are experts in their respective fields. This step to eliminate the Board of Directors and establish a Board of Governors is a move taken to secure the rights of students at SLIIT, said Higher Education Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, speaking exclusively to the Daily FT.
“I have submitted a Cabinet proposal to alter the present makeup of the Board of Directors and instead set up a Board of Governors with nine members, including four to five academics in the composition. The processes of SLIIT have since been entrusted to a guarantee company, giving up all rights of Mahapola, therefore, we need to take action to secure the rights of the 7,000 students currently studying at SLIIT,” he said.
SLIIT is a guarantee company, where in the case of a failure of transaction, the financial liability is limited to only Rs. 1,000. However, it is also a non-profit organisation, therefore any funds, contributions or profits it makes are redirected to any projects for the company’s future benefit.
However, according to SLIIT CEO and Vice Chancellor Prof. Lalith Gamage, as of 6 June 2017 a gazette signed by President Maithripala Sirisena establishes SLIIT as an independent body, removing it from the Higher Education Ministry’s purview. The gazette established SLIIT as a non-state sovereign body.
“SLIIT is an autonomous institute and has no governmental attachments. The gazette issued and signed by the President confirms this status. Therefore, the Government or any ministry under the Government has no jurisdiction to change the composition of the Board of Directors,” said Prof. Gamage.
However, according to the Minister, the establishment of SLIIT has been done through Cabinet papers during the tenure of former president Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, without passing any act to form the institution. This, the Minister claims, makes ineffective the gazette signed by President Sirisena confirming SLIIT as an autonomous institute.
As of now, the Cabinet proposal is being processed by the Attorney General’s Department and the decision regarding the change of composition of the Board of Directors of SLIIT is yet to be finalised.
