Three candidates have been shortlisted for the Vice Chancellor post at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Daily FT reported Tuesday, with the final appointment to be made by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
The shortlisted candidates are incumbent Vice Chancellor Senior Prof. Pathmalal M. Manage; Prof. Upul Subasinghe, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences; and Prof. Shirantha Heenkenda, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Senior Prof. Harindra Dissabandara, who had applied for the post, did not make the shortlist. The paper reported there was speculation he had indicated interest in continuing as SEC Chairman if selected as Vice Chancellor. Former SEC Chairman Prof. Lalith Samarakoon had not applied for or interviewed for the position, Daily FT said, correcting an earlier report.
The three names will be forwarded to the President for consideration and appointment. Sri Jayewardenepura University is placed in the 1501+ band in the 2026 Times Higher Education World University Rankings and in the 1401+ range in the 2026 QS World University Rankings.
The selection marks the latest presidential appointment in the higher-education sector since the National People’s Power government took office, following a series of vice chancellor vacancies across state universities. The case of Eastern University VC Sivapathasundaram Thavarajah’s murder in 2006, for which Pillayan confessed this year, underscores the longstanding political sensitivity around VC appointments.
Source: Daily FT.
