June 04, 2010: Newsfirst draws the attention of the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo to an alleged fraud committed by a senior lecturer of the Medical Faculty.
Even before plans to make Sri Lanka into a knowledge hub, an apparent attempt in that direction has emerged in a different form, with a German national being awarded a doctorate by the University of Sri Jayawardenapura.
Incidentally, a retired judge has been appointed to carry out investigations to ascertain whether this is in fact an elaborate scam.
While the Vice Chancellor of the University of Sri Jayawardenapura has given over this responsibility to such an individual in a bid to safeguard the image of the university, the Vice Chancellor of the Colombo University has been missing the opportunity to clear a black mark that has been placed on the university, for over a year now.
This is due to an investigation into an alleged exam fraud committed by a senior lecturer attached to the Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department of the Medical Faculty of the Colombo University being restricted to a mere letter.
Allegations have been levelled against this senior lecturer, stating that he had given a certain female student extremely high marks for five components in the final exam of the Medical Faculty held in March 2009.
This was done in contravention of the usual practice of a single lecturer evaluating a single component offered by a student.
Although it is stated in the University Act that the University Senate should carry out an investigation into such malpractices, the Vice Chancellor of the university has acted against this and has appointed a separate committee instead.
The Vice Chancellor took steps to present this report to a Governing Council instead of presenting it to the Senate, which is of a higher standing.
Meanwhile, a professor attached to the Department in question at the Medical Faculty has given an astounding solution to an interim problem that arose concurrent to this issue at hand.
The solution was for the relevant student's final year results to be suspended based on the recommendations of the committee appointed by the vice chancellor and for the student to request for her results from the Dean of the University via a lawyer.
However, lecturers attached to the Medical Faculty have decided to hold back releasing the marks obtained for each component at her final year examination, until it is proven that she is not connected to exam fraud.
As a solution to this issue, one professor had arbitrarily altered the marks of this student and issued her results.
This so-called noble deed was performed by this professor in the presence of the Vice Chancellor.
Are moves afoot to produce doctors based on the whims and fancies of some persons in the Medical Faculty of the University of Colombo, which boasts of a proud history of 140 years, as this malpractice has not been forwarded for the attention of the Senate and instead been restricted to mere documents alone?
