The appointment of an individual with allegations of examination fraud against her to the Director General post of the National Institute of Education

(Lanka-e-News -24.March.2016, 6.30PM) The Anti Corruption Front expresses regret over the sudden removal of Prof.  Gunapala Nanayakkara from the post of the Director General of the National Institute of Education, during a press briefing held by ACF chairman Ven. Ulapone Sumangala Thera.  

Prof. Nanayakkara came to Sri Lanka at a time when he was employed for a very high salary at the National Education Development Institute in Ottawa, Canada as its Head, with the aim of doing a service to/for the country's education. 

For the vacancy created by the removal of Prof. Gunapala Nanayakkara, Jayanthi Gunasekera has been appointed as the Director General.

During the time in which Jayanthi Gunasekera served as the National Institute of Education's Deputy Director General and the Vice-Chairperson of the National Education Commission, various allegations were leveled against her. The Anti-Corruption Front expresses displeasure over the appointment of such an individual by the present Government to the post of the Director General of the National Institute of Education.

At the time when she was being appointed to the National Education Commission, there was an allegation leveled against her that she was involved in an examination fraud with regards to the final Master of Education test conducted by the National Institute of Education. With regards to this, with the approval of the National Institute of Education, a three-member committee conducted a basic, initial inquiry into the matter. The investigation revealed that the examination papers of the final Master of Education test for the years 2010/2011 had been leaked in prior/beforehand. Thereby, it was proved that a female candidate who was expecting to be a teacher but had sat for the said exam in a previous year and had failed, was given the examination paper in prior and a prepared answer paper had been included in the file with the answered examination papers and had been subsequently given marks.

As per the recommendations made in the basic, initial investigation report put out by the three-member committee appointed to look into the said examination fraud, several persons involved were suspended from work. 

Jayanthi Gunasekera was in charge of the setting of the examination papers concerning this problematic examination. The investigation report revealed that she had given and presented false information with regards to the examination papers being leaked. The report outlines details that there is suspicion regarding her role in the matter.

Further investigations in order to uncover details with regards to the examination fraud were to be conducted and further action was scheduled to be taken and pertaining to this a complaint had been handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department through the Inspector General of Police. The Criminal Investigation Department had conducted the said investigations.

Jayanthi Gunasekera during the period in which she was employed at the National Institute of Education had gone overseas to study for a Doctor of Philosophy degree. For this she was abroad for three years. Even though she had obtained the approval of the Ministry of Education to go abroad on an unpaid basis, she had not obtained the Ministry's approval when she came back and started receiving her salary. The Ministry conducted an inquiry about her having obtained a salary for the period during which she was to be on an unpaid basis. The Ministry concluded that the officials who approved of the payment of the salary were the ones to be held responsible. 

It is problematic that the incumbent yahapalana (good governance) Government is appointing a female officer who has had such allegations leveled against her to a top position in an institution related to education. It is the Anti-Corruption Front's belief that urgent attention must be paid in this regard and the necessary actions, steps and measures be taken.

By The Anti-Corruption Front

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by     (2016-03-24 13:23:08)