SAITM students urge Government to uphold their right to education

From left: Piranaby Varathan, Varuni Greru, Judith Peiris, Chaturanga Sanjeewa, Dilshan Fernando, Tharindu Ruwanpathirana and Dilshan Sampath

By Devin Jayasundera

The SAITM petition fixed for argument in early October at the Court of Appeal will be the first sight of a possible resolution of the longstanding conflict. With tensions running high, a group of SAITM MBBS students urged that the Government should provide a favourable environment to exercise their right for free access in education at a press briefing held yesterday. 

Given SAITM’s allegedly dubious beginnings, the critics of the institution have not spared its students and their parents, saying that it is their ignorance and irresponsibility that has led them to this fate. When Daily FT inquired why they chose to attend SAITM in spite of the lack of endorsement from the Sri Lanka Medical Council (SLMC), the chief regulatory body of the medical profession and education, it was revealed that SLMC recognised Nizhny Novgorod State Academy of Medicine of Russia (NNSAM), the affiliated university for the medical degree of SAITM. As a result the students were of the understanding that they would be obtaining a foreign degree from NNSAM and would have to sit the ERPM examination (formerly known as Act 16) to obtain licence for medical practice in the country. 

However SLMC later claimed that the twin program cannot be recognised and insisted SAITM to seek for a degree awarding status which was subsequently awarded by University Grants commission. According to SAITM MBBS graduate Dilshan Fernando in the discussions with key members of the SLMC during this period it was assured that their full support would be given and indicated no objection for the degree awarded by SAITM.

“We did our own investigation regarding the legality of SAITM as we did not want to jeopardise our future by joining a fraudulent institution,” said SAITM MBBS graduate Tharindu Ruwanpathirane.

Students who missed entry into State medical faculties by few decimal points in Z scores but received scholarships from SAITM also addressed the briefing. 

Fourth year undergraduate at SAITM Chaturanga Sanjeewa said: “I did my Advanced Levels under the new syllabus in 2011 and achieved a district rank of 8th place from Hambantota. I was originally selected to pursue medicine at a State medical faculty. But the list was revised due to the Z-score fiasco during the time. As a result only seven were selected under the new syllabus which left me out. It was SAITM which offered me a full scholarship to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a doctor.”

He also added that it is important to ensure free education but at the same time free access to education for qualified students to pursue higher education by paying a fee should also be guaranteed.

Varuni Greru, another fourth year undergraduate, missed entrance to a State medical faculty by 0.02 Z- score points from the cut-off mark for the Colombo District. “Why I didn’t get a chance to study in a State medical faculty is not because I wasn’t qualified for it but because the State could not afford to fund my education free of charge.”

She added the university entrance is not selected entirely on merit but based on a district quota system which leads to discriminatory outcomes. “Even if you achieve A or B passes from districts like Colombo, Galle or Kandy, it is difficult to enter medical faculty. But from Nuwara Eliya, Badulla, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa Districts, there are students with C or S passes who enter State medical faculties and currently work as doctors in the country.”

Dilshan Sampath achieved 3As and a Z-score of 1.9191 in the 2011 Advanced Level examination in the bio stream. His island rank was 487 and district rank was 118. However the cutoff mark for that year was 1.9196 for the Colombo District, missing university entrance by 0.0005 points, according to Sampath. 

“Even after getting an island rank of 487, I was not selected from the Colombo District because I was subjected to the district quota system but not evaluated on all island merit.” As a result Sampath entered the dental faculty at University of Peradeniya.  However in 2013 the University Grant commission informed him that it would facilitate a full scholarship program at SAITM for students who missed State medical faculty entrance within a hair’s breadth.  

“In 2011 about 60,000 students sat for the exam in the biology stream. But only around 1,500 students got selected to pursue State medical education. Many students who have to give up their dreams of becoming doctors is not because they lacked the required qualification but due to lack of resources of the State,” said Sampath.