Around 100 out of the 800 academic staff members at the University of Peradeniya have left their positions over the past 2 1/2 years, said Prof. Ruchika Fernando, President of the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA).He said the matter was revealed at the Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE) in August, adding that reports indicated that a further group of lecturers had submitted their resignations.

Speaking at a media briefing held at the University of Peradeniya, Prof. Fernando said FUTA had decided to intensify trade union action because the Government had paid no attention to lecturer shortages, student welfare concerns and inadequate education funding.He warned that overcrowded hostels, delays in Mahapola scholarship payments and the continued departure of academics were affecting state universities, cautioning that the system could collapse within the next decade.Although the Government’s election manifesto had pledged to allocate 6% of the national budget to education, only around 2% had been allocated last year, he added.Meanwhile, Senior Professor Ananda Jayawickrama of the Department of Economics and Statistics at the University of Peradeniya also spoke at the event.