| University of Jaffna | |
|---|---|
| யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம் යාපනය විශ්වවිද්යාලය |
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| Motto | மெய்ப்பொருள் காண்பது அறிவு |
| Motto in English | Discernment is wisdom |
| Established | August 1, 1974 |
| Type | Public |
| Budget | LKR 719,093 million (2010) |
| Chancellor | Prof. M. Sivasuriya |
| Vice-Chancellor | Prof. Vasanthy Arasaratnam |
| Registrar | V. Kandeepan |
| Academic staff | 393 (2010) |
| Admin. staff | 689 (2010) |
| Students | 5,800 |
| Undergraduates | 5,000 |
| Postgraduates | 800 |
| Location | Jaffna, Northern Province, Sri Lanka |
| Campus | Multiple campuses |
| Former names | University of Sri Lanka (Jaffna Campus) |
| Affiliations | Association of Commonwealth Universities |
| Website | jfn.ac.lk |
The University of Jaffna (Tamil: யாழ்ப்பாணப் பல்கலைக்கழகம், Sinhala: යාපනය විශ්වවිද්යාලය) (abbreviated UoJ) is a public university in the city of Jaffna in Sri Lanka.[1] Established in 1974 as the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka, it became an independent, autonomous university in 1979. The university, like all public universities in Sri Lanka, receives the bulk of its funding from the University Grants Commission (UGC), part of the Ministry of Higher Education in Colombo. The UGC and the central government therefore exert a great deal of control over the university.
The university has two campuses - the main campus in Thirunelvely in Jaffna and a second campus in Vavuniya. It also has facilities in Kilinochchi, Kaithady and Maruthanarmadam near Chunnakam. The university currently has nine faculties (Agriculture, Applied Sciences, Arts, Business Studies, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Management Studies & Commerce, Medicine and Science) and nine other academic centers. The university offers numerous undergraduate and postgraduate courses which award a variety of degrees including BA, BBA, BBM, BCom, BFA, B.Pharm, BSc, BSc(Agr), LLB, MA, MEd, MBBS and MSc.
The university had 5,437 students and 1,082 employees in 2010.[2] It is the seventh largest university in Sri Lanka in terms of student numbers.[2] In 2009/10 the university admitted 1,641 undergraduates.[3] The university had a recurrent budget of LKR 719,093 million and a capital budget of LKR 121,634 million in 2010.[4] Its income in 2010 was LKR 716,470 million of which 96% was grant from the government in Colombo.[4]
The chancellor and vice-chancellor of the university are professors M. Sivasuriya and Vasanthy Arasaratnam respectively.[5] The university is a member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.[6]
Major concern raised by politicians, journalists, public and thinkers is on the low quality of education and research in the University of Jaffna. Todate, the university lacks severely and acutely in research and academic creativity. The sudden promotion of individuals lacking the right credentials and/or research background to rank of Associate Professor in this institution has raised many concerns regarding the transparency of activities even under the newly appointed Vice Chancellor, Vasanthy Arasaretnam's management.
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On 15 July 1974 Badi-ud-din Mahmud, Minister of Education and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Sri Lanka, declared that the sixth campus of the University of Sri Lanka would be established in Jaffna.[7][8] Dr. K. Kailasapathy, head of the Deptarment of Tamil and Hindu studies of the Vidyalankara Campus of the University of Sri Lanka, was appointed as the first President of the Jaffna Campus.[8] Extraordinary gazette no. 121/15 was published on 25 July 1974 establishing the Jaffna Campus.[8] The new campus started functioning on 1 August 1974 at the Parameswara College premises in Thirunelvely some 4km north of Jaffna city centre.[7][8] Parameswara College had been founded in 1921 by P. Ramanathan.
The campus had approval for three faculties (Humanities, Law and Science) and one department (Physical Education) but only the Humanities and Science faculties were functioning when the campus started taking students from October 1974.[7][8] The Faculty of Humanities and campus administration were based at Thirunelvely but the Faculty of Science was based at the undergraduate section of Jaffna College, Vaddukoddai which had been taken over by the government on 13 August 1974.[7][8]
The Faculty of Humanities was renamed Faculty of Arts in 1975. The Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts, based at Ramanathan College in Maruthanarmadam, was taken over by the Jaffna Campus on 1 December 1975.[7][8] The Faculty of Science moved to Thirunelvely in June 1978 and the Jaffna College site was returned to its former owners the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India. The Faculty of Medicine was established on 7 August 1978 with its base at the Ayurvedic Hospital in Kaithady.[7][8]
The Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 radically altered university education in Sri Lanka. The University of Sri Lanka was abolished and its six campuses (Colombo, Peradeniya, Sri Jayewardenepura, Kelaniya, Moratuwa and Jaffna) were each elevated to independent, autonomous universities in their own right. A gazette was issued on 22 December 1978 establishing the University of Jaffna with effect from 1 January 1979.[7][8]
The Faculty of Medicine moved to Thirunelvely in 1981. Construction of a new library, student centre and arts block began in 1981 but were halted due to the civil war. The Siddha section of the Institute of Indigenous Medicine was moved from the University of Colombo to the University of Jaffna in July 1984.[7][8] The partially completed library started functioning in 1986.
The escalation of hostilities between the Indian Peace Keeping Force and the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in late 1987 severely affected the university. The university buildings and equipment suffered extensive damage. University students and academic/non-academic staff were also killed.[8] During the late 1980s/early 1990s, when most of the Jaffna peninsula including Jaffna city was under LTTE control, the university suffered frequent aerial bombings, shortage of essential goods due to the economic blockade, shortage of academic staff many of whom had fled abroad and a general disturbance of university life due the frequent curfews.[8]
In October 1989 approval was given to establish a Faculty of Engineering in Kilinochchi but the civil war prevented the plans from being implemented.[8] A new Faculty of Agriculture was established in Kilinochchi on 3 December 1990.[7][8] In October 1995, as the Sri Lankan military launched a military offensive to recapture the Jaffna peninsula, virtually the entire population of the Valikamam region fled to other parts of the peninsula and the Vanni. The university's administration was transferred to the Faculty of Agriculture in Kilinochchi.[7][8] Most of the university's equipment and furniture at Thirunelvely was lost during the absence. The university's administration returned to Thirunelvely in 1996 after the military had recaptured most of the peninsula including Jaffna city.[7][8]
A gazette was issued on 26 March 1997 upgrading the Northern Province Affiliated University College (NPAUC) in Vavuniya to the Vavuniya Campus of the University of Jaffna.[8] The NPAUC had been established in 1991 to offer courses in mathematical sciences, accountancy and finance. The Vavuniya Campus had two faculties - the Faculty of Applied Science and Faculty of Business Studies - each with two departments.[7][8] In 1999 the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce was created from parts of the Faculty of Arts.[7] The Faculty of Graduate Studies was also created in the same year.[7]
In April 2011 the university's senate approved the establishment of a Faculty of Engineering in Kilinochchi next to the Faculty of Agriculture. The first batch of students are expected to be admitted in September 2012. However, the quality of education to be provided at this proposed new faculty is a question mark and how the parents and students will react to this remains a big problem.
The university is based at five sites: Thirunelvely, Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Kaithady and Maruthanarmadam. Four faculties (Arts, Graduate Studies, Medicine and Science) are based at Thirunelvely, two at Vavuniya (Applied Sciences and Business Studies) and two at Kilinochchi (Agriculture and Engineering). The Ramanathan Academy of Fine Arts is situated in Marthanamadam and the Siddha Medicine Unit is situated in Kaithady.
The Vavuniya campus is based at several sites in the town. The Faculty of Applied Sciences is located on Railway Station Road and the Faculty of Business Studies is located on Mannar Road, Pambaimadhu. The library is located on Park Road and the English Unit is on Vairavarkovil Road.
The University of Jaffna at present is overridden with issues of corruption, nepotism and cronyism etc. Former Vice Chancellor N. Shanmugalingan and the present vice Chancellor Vasanthy Araseretnam have been heavily criticised for the fraudulent occurrences in their administration. A former Vice Chancellor, B. Balasuntharampillai: known as the 'king or queen maker' has been accused of decadent behaviour leading to the initial and continuing demise of the university in terms of quality.
Also, this university has been heavily condemned for promoting inadequately qualified individuals to the posts of Professor and Associate Professor. In 2010, the University Grants Commission suspended the University's Post-Graduate programming due to the fact a lot of panhandling and under-cutting has been practiced in the award of postgrad degrees.
The current chancellor of the university is professor M. Sivasuriya.[5] The vice-chancellor is professor Vasanthy Arasaratnam who took office on 28 March 2011.[9] She is the university's first female vice-chancellor.[9][10] Professor Arasaratnam had previously been Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, the first non-medical professional to hold that post (though there were many objections from medical professionals). The rector of the Vavuniya Campus is Mr. R. Nanthakumaran.[5] Senior non-academic staff include registrar V. Kandeepan, bursar S. C. Ramakrishnan and acting librarian Ms. S. Arulanantham.[5]
The university has nine faculties, nine other academic centers/units and a number of other departments:[11]
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Faculties
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Centers/Units
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Other Departments
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The Faculty of Agriculture is divided into six departments: Agricultural Biology, Agricultural Economics, Agronomy, Agricultural Chemistry, Agricultural Engineering and Animal Science.[12] The current dean is Dr. Sivamathy Sivachandiran.[5] Former deans include retired associate professor Mr. S. Rajadurai (formerly a Kundasalai Diploma holder, attached to Govt. Department of Agriculture), late Eng. Vijayaratnum, professor Navaratnaraja, associate professor Mohanadas (who moved from Faculty of Science upon dispute with administration there) and late professor Kandiah. There are 159 undergraduates enrolled in the university. The first batch of students enrolled in December 1990.
The Faculty of Agriculture did not have a permanent building after being displaced from Kilinochchi where it was established. However, as a result of constant campaigning and efforts from professor Mikunthan, an amateur entomologist (Indian qualified) and self proclaimed agricultural revolutionary, the Faculty has now been moved to Kilinochchi. Professor Mikunthan's efforts to develop a research focus is appreciated by the university fraternity especially those in his camp (also referred to as Camp De Mikunthan the 'not so great').
The Faculty of Applied Science is divided into two departments: Bio-Science and Physical Science.[13]
The Faculty of Arts is divided into sixteen departments (and many factions within): Christian & Islamic Civilization, Dance (RAFA), Economics, Education, Fine Arts, Geography, Hindu Civilization, History, Law, Linguistics & English, Music (RAFA), Philosophy, Political Science, Sanskrit, Sociology and Tamil.[14]
The Faculty of Business Studies is divided into two departments: Economics & Management and Accountancy & Finance.[15]
The Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce is divided into six departments: Accounting, Commerce, Financial Management, Human Resource Management, Management Studies and Marketing.[16]
The Faculty of Medicine is divided into twelve departments: Anatomy, Biochemistry, Community Medicine, Forensic Medicine, Medicine, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Pathology, Pharmacology, Physiology, Psychiatry and Surgery.[17] The current dean is professor K. Sivapalan who has not yet published a research paper in a peer refreed journal.[5]
The Faculty of Medicine was established by Dr Nissanka Wijeyeratne at Kaithady in October 1978 with 70 students.[18][19] Dr Kandiah Balasubramaniam was the dean for a decade. As a head of biochemistry he led the country in biotechnology and ground breaking research which is so highly sensitive and yet to be published.
The Faculty of Science is divided into six departments: Botany, Chemistry, Computer Science, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics and Zoology.[17]
RAFA was established by former senator S. Nadesapillai (Son in law Sir Ponnampalam Ramanathan). Ramanathan College premises to foster and develop Carnatic music, Bharathanatyam and other traditional music of Tamil. After the establishment of Jaffna Campus of the University of Srilanka, the university had taken over RAFA. At the time of the takeover, few students were enrolled in the four-year diploma course and they were taught by few visiting staff.
The Faculty of Arts introduced a new syllabus and appointed instructors in 1975 to improve the standard of the courses conducted by RAFA. Further senior academic staff also taken classes for the RAFA students. In 1991 a comprehensive reforms was New Department of performing was established and brought the RAFA directly under the Dean/ Faculty of Arts.
From 1991 onwards cadre for the dance and music disciplines was increased gradually.
Eight RAFA lecturers were absorbed with diplomas and Gurukula education qualifications as confirmed lecturers. Absorbed RAFA academic staff were given opportunities and facilitates to do postgraduate studies locally and abroad.
The first batch of graduates in music and dance were passed out in 1998. In 1998 three temporary assistant lecturers were appointed with degree in dance qualification. The student intake for degree course was increased from 25 to 50. Art & Design was introduced as a discipline in 1999 at RAFA; it was placed under the Head, Department of Dance.
The music department head is Dr. Thavanathan Robert. Past head is Pakialaxumi Nadarasa. The dance department's head is Seethaluxmy Prabhaharan also a famous 'local kooththu dancer'. Past head is Muraleetharan who is not a dancer, but is a 'dance master' or 'nattuvanar'.
The Honourable Justice Deshamanya V. Manicavasagar of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka and a former chairman of the Bank of Ceylon was the first chancellor at the university.[8] Renowned scholar and author K. Sivathamby was emeritus professor at the university.[20][21]
Mr. Vadivelu (Famous Tamil Cinema Comedian) is also a un-official patron of the University of Jaffna. He became interested in the University of Jaffna since his magnum-opus, the Film: "Imsai Arasan, 23rd Pulikesi" was inspired by the administration styles of this university's vice chancellors. Mr. Vadivelu's famous catch phrase: "வந்திட்டாங்கய்யா! வந்திட்டாங்க!" (Meaning - "They have arrived sir! They have arrived!") was developed based on a ceremonial address given by Balasuntharampillai, one of the university's former Vice Chancellors.