A decision has been taken to prosecute University lecturers who fail to return after completing their post graduate degrees, Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Ministry Secretary J.J. Rathnasiri said yesterday.
The decision has been reached at a Vice Chancellors’ meeting held recently.
The Ministry Secretary said they will prosecute the sureties of the bond that the university lecturers entered into with the UGC provided that the whereabouts of the lecturers could not be traced. University lecturers agree to serve four years in the country following the completion of the government funded overseas post graduate degrees.
He said such a measure is required since an enormous amount of public funds is spent on such scholars for their overseas studies. “They are being paid during the years the lecturers’ stay overseas for such studies,” Secretary Rathnasiri said. “Not only that the government spends lakhs of rupees in public funds for their education until they complete their degrees.”
He said that during the meeting it was decided that the university lecturers who go abroad for further studies should return or pay the amounts that was spent on them.