The presentation of appointment letters to 3147 people recruited into the nursing service in the country is scheduled to be held tomorrow (24 May) at 9.30 a.m. at the Assembly Hall of the Temple Trees premises.

In a statement, the Department of Government Information states this is the first time in the history of the nursing service in this country that appointment letters have been issued to such a large number of people at once.

The department further said that concurrently with this event, promotions will also be conferred on 79 special grade officers in the nursing service.

The event, which will be held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and with the participation of the Minister of Health, Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, is scheduled to be attended by a group of officials, including the Secretary to the Ministry of Health, Specialist Dr. Anil Jasinghe. (Newswire)

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Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya says a standard policy and procedure is followed when appointing principals to all schools, responding to a question raised by the opposition regarding the Bandaranayake College in Gampaha. 

Addressing the Parliament yesterday, PM Amarasuriya said the past Government had turned the process of appointing principals for schools into a problematic matter. 

“Without a proper procedure, acting principals were appointed, leading to prolonged unfairness for both the teachers and the schools, leaving the school administration system in a problematic state. Currently, a proper procedure is followed in correcting the system according to existing regulations. Principals are being appointed to all national schools and vacancies through interviews conducted in line with the qualifications required for the position. We do not treat schools differently; every school is governed under the same policy and procedure,” she said. 

Providing a clarification, PM Amarasuriya said the principal appointment at Bandaranayake College in Gampaha was also carried out according to this standard procedure.

“Several issues had been identified based on written and verbal complaints made by various parties regarding the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Institute of Indigenous Medicine. Consequently, an expert committee has been appointed to examine the matter in a formal and analytical manner. Discussions were held with both the academic staff and students, and several key issues had been identified through the initial discussions,” she said. 

The Prime Minister revealed that, notably, the Gampaha Wickramarachchi Institute of Indigenous Medicine was upgraded to a university without even the most basic facilities. 

“New faculties and degree programs have been launched without adequate human resources or infrastructure. Further, beyond the core objectives of indigenous medicine, programs such as technology, social sciences, and management have been introduced without sufficient facilities,” she explained. 

PM Harini Amarasuriya said that a formal committee has been appointed to investigate these matters and prepare a report to recommend the necessary actions. (Newswire)

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The Lawyers’ Collective has raised concerns over the government’s decision to appoint retired judges, especially of the Superior Courts, to positions in both the public and private sectors.

Issuing a statement, the Lawyers’ Collective said the appointment of retired judges, especially of the Superior Courts, to positions in both the public and private sectors has been a matter of concern to the legal community and the general public in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. 

Post-retirement appointments of judges create a cloud over the sanctity of their judgements, irrespective of their merits. They also tend to undermine public faith in judicial independence. It is worse when an appointment is made immediately after retirement.

This is not to say that the valuable experience and insights acquired by judges should be wasted after retirement. The country must make good use of their knowledge in a manner that does not raise the suspicion that they were not impartial during their tenure, it said. 

The Lawyers’ Collective further said there can be no objection to retired judges being appointed as members or Chairpersons of constitutional commissions, Commissions of Inquiry or institutions such as the Law Commission of Sri Lanka, provided they are appointed through mechanisms such as the Constitutional Council, which ensures a national consensus on appointments. Their expertise could also be used in legal education and training of judges and lawyers.

The Lawyers Collective has proposed that retirement benefits for judges of the Superior Courts should be equivalent to the emoluments and benefits of judges in service. 

They should not perform any function that would bring them monetary gain, advantage, or benefit except as permitted by the Constitution or written law. These matters should be regulated by constitutional or statutory provisions, it added.

The statement was signed by Rienzie Arsecularatne, President’s Counsel, Dr. Jayampathy Wickramaratne, President’s Counsel, Professor Savitri Goonesekere, Attorney-at-Law, M.A. Sumanthiran, President’s Counsel, Geoffrey Alagaratnam, President’s Counsel, Saliya Pieris, President’s Counsel, S.T. Jayanaga, President’s Counsel, Professor Deepika Udagama, Rev. Fr. Noel Dias, Attorney-at-Law, K.W. Janaranjana, Attorney-at-Law, Srinath Perera, Attorney-at-law, Ermiza Tegal, Attorney-at-Law, Darshana Kuruppu, Attorney-at-Law, Manoj Nanayakkara, Attorney-at-Law, Amila Egodamahawatte, Attorney-at-Law and Jayantha Dehiaththage, Attorney-at-Law. (Newswire)

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Applications have been called to fill the vacancies in the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) by the Parliament of Sri Lanka. 

Accordingly, persons with suitable experience in fact-finding or investigation, human rights law, international humanitarian law, humanitarian response or other relevant qualifications to carry out the functions of the OMP have been requested to forward their applications on or before 27th May 2024. 

Applications should be forwarded to ‘Secretary-General to the Constitutional Council, Constitutional Council – Office, Parliament of Sri Lanka, Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte by registered post or by email to constitutionalcouncil@parliament.lk. 

The Office on Missing Persons is a permanent and independent state institution tasked with searching for the truth regarding the fate of the missing and disappeared in Sri Lanka and protecting the rights and interests of the victims and their families.

On 28 February 2018, the OMP was made operational with the appointment of seven commissioners based on the recommendations of the Constitutional Council. (Newswire)

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Over 2500 appointments have been made to Sri Lanka’s nursing sector, the Ministry of Health announced.

The Ministry stated that 2,519 newly recruited nurses received their letters of appointment today (Nov 17). 

The appointment letters were handed over during an event held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dinesh Gunawardena and Health Minister Ramesh Pathirane.

The Health Ministry further said the new appointments increase the total number of nursing officers in the country’s health service to 45,000. (NewsWire)

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