The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) announced that university lecturers will launch a one‑day strike tomorrow (09) in protest against what they describe as a deepening crisis in the state university system.
FUTA Secretary, Charudatta Ilangasinghe, said the association had already engaged in trade union action throughout last week to highlight the severity of the situation.
He pointed to a shortage of lecturers and lack of qualified staff, warning that the issue has reached a point where students who sat for the 2025 Advanced Level examination cannot be admitted to state universities.
Ilangasinghe noted that while the President has pledged to establish 50 new state universities, the immediate priority should be to safeguard the quality of the 17 existing institutions before expanding further.
He added that FUTA is prepared to hold discussions with authorities but stressed that a stable and lasting solution is urgently required to protect the integrity of higher education in Sri Lanka. (Newswire)