MORE TAMIL STUDENTS AT MORATUWA (98 Oct 28)
The University Grants Commission has decided to change the formula for the admission to the Universities from this year. Under the formula adopted so far the first 10 percent of the students in the merit list in any stream were given their first choice of the universities. The rest were distributed within the universities according to a complex formula depending on the order of preferences given by the students and the distances to the universities from their homes.
This meant that in the case of the Faculty of Engineering, from the districts such as Kolomba, Kalutara, Gampaha, more students were admitted to the University of Moratuwa than to the University of Peradeniya. It helped the Universities also, as in this case the Moratuwa University did not have to find accommodation for those students.
This year however most of the students from these districts have been admitted to the University of Peradeniya. More places in the University of Moratuwa have been given to students from the Yapanaya district. As a result the number of Tamil students entering the University of Moratuwa has increased from about 75 to about 115 out of 400 students. This has created an accommodation problem as the University finds it impossible to provide hostels to these students.
It is believed that the change of policy is a result of pressure applied by some Tamil racist MPs. The irony of the situation is such that the Sinhala people do not have a single MP to ask a question in the parliament as to why the university admission policy has been changed. The MPs are bound by party discipline and the parties in order to either retain power or cone to power bow down to the wishes of the Tamil racist MPs.