open university graduates ignored when giving appointments

By Sandun A Jayasekera

Certain top officials in the public sector have refused to give appointments to graduates who have obtained their degree from the Open University and were given appointments from the Prime Minister’s office under the graduate placement programme, the Daily Mirror learns.   

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe gave appointments to 3,800 unemployed graduates on July 30 and some of them were graduates of the Open University. The recruits had been posted to various public sector establishments.   

“Some senior officials have refused to accept these degree holders of the Open University who were posted to such public institutions. For instance, the Economic Affairs Ministry had returned 39 graduates with Open University degrees assigned to that Ministry. This must not happen. The government treats all first degree holders equal notwithstanding whether their degrees are from national Universities or the Open University,” a spokesman from the Prime Minister’s office said.   

The fate of these graduates has been more aggravated as many of them have accepted employment under the graduates placement programme after resigning from their previous jobs.   
Meanwhile, Secretary to Prime Minister Saman Ekanayaka has instructed the relevant Ministries which had refused to absorb degree holders of the Open University to give them appointments immediately as per the government policy.