During a recent COPE meeting, it was revealed that ten students from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura were unfairly fined for damages caused to a university hostel during a student clash.
The committee observed that the amount charged was three times the actual value of the damage, which is the legal maximum, along with an additional 25% surcharge.
In response, the university’s Vice-Chancellor assured COPE that any miscalculations in the charges would be rectified.
COPE Chair Dr. Nishantha Samaraweera instructed university officials to review the fairness of imposing the penalty on only one party involved in the incident.
The revelations were made during the COPE session held on June 20 to review the university’s audit reports for 2022 and 2023 and assess its overall performance.
The committee also raised serious concerns about the university releasing its full-time bursar to work as a non-executive director at a private company without consulting the Ministry.
It was disclosed that the bursar had taken 44 days in 2024 without any recorded arrival or departure entries, prompting the Chair to order a correction of this irregularity.
Further issues discussed included the questionable recruitment of a project manager without a formal public call or application process.
The COPE Chair instructed the Secretary to the Ministry to investigate and submit a report on improper recruitment practices at the university.
Additionally, the committee questioned the university over Rs. 5.3 million in unutilized funds from the 2024 external degree convocation, where students had been charged Rs. 10,500 each.
Following this, the university administration announced that convocation fees would be reduced from this year onward to ease the financial burden on students.
The committee also examined concerns related to university construction projects, infrastructure conditions, and the overall student-university relationship, stressing the need for a more student-friendly environment.
Several Members of Parliament, including Dayasiri Jayasekara, Nilanthi Kottachchi, Ruwan Mapalagama, Asitha Egoda Vithana, Thilina Samarakoon, Chandima Hettiaratchi, and Lakmali Hemachandra participated in the discussions.
