Ven. Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero and Mahinda Rajapaksa l Photo credits: Newsin.asia
In a statement, the University of Colombo’s Science Teachers’ Association (UCSTA) expressed that they are “greatly perturbed by the recent appointment of Ven Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero to the post of the Chancellor of the University of Colombo.”
The UCSTA highlighted that “even though the Chancellor’s role is mostly ceremonial, the person who holds the position ideally should have a track record of flawless professional and personal integrity, whose reputation and credentials will assist the University in furthering its reputation and credibility nationally and internationally,”
“We believe that the Thero’s association with a well-known trade union and his political affiliations will not be helpful for advancing Universities’ interests within the local, national and international spheres and express our extreme disappointment in this appointment,” the UCSTA added.
Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa controversially appointed Buddhist Monk Ven Muruththettuwe Ananda Thero. In a speech earlier this week, Rajapaksa stated the monk had “helped this government to come into power.”
“The Thero helped this government to come into power. The Thero made contributions from the time of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. That’s true,” Rajapaksa continued.
Read more here: Returning a favour? Rajapaksa explains why a Sinhala Buddhist monk was appointed university chancellor
The UCSTA’s disapproval is one of many. The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), the Colombo University’s Academic Federation, the Faculty of Medicine Teachers’ Association (FMTA), and the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) have all condemned the appointment as well.
Read the UCSTA’s full statement here.
