The sudden response from vice
chancellors (VC), to agree to the proposed solutions to SAITM, proves my
concern of the credibility of those whom we claim to be educated. Is this
because they agreed for a solution to SAITM? Obviously, the circumstance is so,
but the original idea was there long time back. Firstly, why did the VCs; a
group, who never even bothered of SAITM issue, suddenly agree? I was wondering
if they were even worried of SAITM at all.
I expected the recent proposals
to be super important and crystal clear, to be approved by Vice Chancellors of universities;
a highest academic position to be hold in Sri Lanka. I expected the proposal to
be flawless and doubtless to be approved by the VCs in such quick time.
I am just a new graduate, and
hence have no experience in academic work or academic decision making. But I
was trained in a medical faculty that maintained very high standards and logic
in arriving at decisions. As a student, I have witnessed, how much detail the administration
and the teachers go in to, even in simple issues like a change in a date of a
short appointment. As a graduate, who was trained under such strict and logical
background, I do not see a rationale of the VC or anyone for that matter
suddenly agreeing to a solution which leaves us with so many unanswered
questions.
To begin with, the authority
under which this proposal was proposed. I recall, that the previous proposals
were from responsible authorities related to this matter, The Ministry of
Higher education, and Ministry of Health and later from the Presidential secretariat.
But this was from the Department of Government Information. I see a huge issue
of credibility of the proposals in first place.
However, as the media
overwhelmingly published, SAITM is abolished now, ie, the MBBS degree awarded
by SAITM is stopped, and SAITM can no longer recruit students or award MBBS
here after. This is a good thing. At least prevent the other students from
digging their own graves.
Also, the minimum standards, that
was in the process of gazetting for months, is to be gazetted soon. However,
the health minister; the responsible authority, himself promised to do so
several months back, but has failed to do so yet. Hence, for me, although this
is proposed, raises serious concerns in implementation, since it is in the authority
of the health minister and the new proposal is issued by an authority with no
credibility over this matter.
Biggest issue for me in accepting
this proposal is the doubt it has left regarding this so called “new entity” to
be established in “one month” to award “MBBS degrees” on a “regular basis”.
SAITM has already put Sri Lankan medical
education in crisis, and disgraced the reputation of the Sri Lankan medical
degree by being blacklisted in the General medical council (GMC), UK. Hence,
the crisis need to be managed quickly but effectively. If you trace the history
of SAITM; BOI approval, UGC approval, SLMC approval, hospital for clinical
training and many more were to be completed and over the last 8 years, SAITM
couldn’t fulfil them and hence attempted all the illegal and cunny attempts to
get the approval. With credit to the student community and the academic and
trade union community, the fraud of SAITM was exposed and hence the government is
now proposing to Abolish SAITM. These approvals, and the fulfillment of the
criteria must be achieved by the proposed “new entity” as well, because it is
to be established to award MBBS in a REGULAR BASIS and not only as a solution
to the SAITM students. On surface analysis, it is evident that no medical
school can be set with all those approvals and other related developments in
one month. For that matter, at least in few months. More so, as the government has
not yet identified who this not for profit investor is. Hence, even though the
VCs and few other parties have agreed, as a simple graduate, I have doubts in
accepting this hypothetical new entity because, it can be of no difference to
SAITM if it fulfills all the requirements in a few months.
Speaking of the standards, it is
proposed that “all” the credits of the current SAITM students, should be
recognized by the “new entity” as it is. This itself contradicts the idea that
the “new entity” would be of better standards. If they are of better standards,
they would worry about accepting the credits of a degree which is rejected by
Sri Lanka Medical Council and blacklisted by the General Medical council (GMC),
UK. This also endangers the degrees of those who are claimed to be MBBS(SAITM) qualified.
As per the proposals, SAITM is abolished. Hence, the degree awarded so far is
not valid. The “new entity” cannot directly offer it’s degree for those who are
MBBS(SAITM) qualified. That contradicts the idea of standards in the “new
entity”. Hence it is paramount, that the outcome of SAITM assets should not be
a “new entity” that will continue to award MBBS, because to set such a
continuous entity it will need a lot of further discussion and planning, and a prompt
decision is only going to cause more future problems. Instead, as the deans
proposed, and Interim authority (IIA), only to provide solution for the current
SAITM students would be more suitable to find a prompt solution for SAITM
crisis, than delaying the solution with the “new entity” under discussion. Since
the only objective of IIA is to find solution for the 900 students at SAITM, that
may be more acceptable to solve this crisis than planning a long lasting “new
entity”. If the government is planning a new medical school, that itself would
need in depth discussion. For eg. The area of the new medical school. If someone
has identified where the medical schools are distributed in the country, it is
obvious, they are distributed all around the country improving healthcare provision.
The right hospital has been identified, and later developed to a teaching
hospital and then a medical school has been started. Government has stated that
they have plans to start state medical faculties in Sabaragamuwa and Wayamba,
making Kurunegala hospital the teaching hospital of one of them. The “new
entity” will have to be planned accordingly. Just because SLIIT or any other
investor has a wish to take over, “new entity” should not be established
without proper planning.
World federation for medical
education describes the process to follow in setting up a new medical school in
the link below.
In a country, where there are already
planned new medical schools coming, the “new entity” should be decided only
after assessing the healthcare needs and the plans for the next 20 years at
least. I fail to understand, undertaking the mammoth task of setting up a “new
entity” would be ideal when solving a crisis as that of SAITM, and an IIA just
to find solutions for those affected students would be better and could be
implemented with less in depth and situation analysis as that would be needed
with a “new entity” that is long lasting.
I was amused to hear the vice
chancellors, suddenly declaring they agree to the proposed solutions, considering
the in-depth analysis the faculty I studied would do, even before deciding a simple
matter such as that of a tree, exam or a clinical appointment. Agreeing to a “new
entity” with no information at all cannot be expected from the learned
community. Particularly so, form a place like that I have studied, considering
the level of analysis, the faculty used to do in much simpler situations. And I’d
expect the faculty and the university community to stand on their grounds to
make sure they would make the ideal decision after much analysis, as they would
do, even when cutting down a tree in the faculty.
A few hours after the said
proposals were released, the health minister himself contradicted the essence
of the latest proposal, and hence as learned people, it would be much wise to
trust the action of the politicians than believing the words of a notice. I am
sure the same standards followed for a usual faculty decision would be
considered, at least by the faculty that nurtured me, based on the past
experiences and the circumstances, in deciding if the solutions are good or bad.
