Genuine image shows Sri Lankan activist holding protest placard, not Guinness World Records certificate

"Ah this is the so-called politically enlightened Aristotle in Sri Lanka, unable to graduate," reads the Sinhala-language post shared here on Facebook on April 4, 2023.

The claim was accompanied by a photo of Sri Lankan student activist Wasantha Mudalige holding what appears to be a certificate issued by the Guinness World Records.

The text superimposed on the image reads: "Wasantha Mudalige wins the Guinness World Records for being enrolled in the same degree programme for the longest period of time."

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Screenshot of the misleading post, captured on April 12, 2023

Wasantha Mudalige is the leader of Inter-University Student Federation (IUSF), Sri Lanka's largest student union (archived links here and here).

In August 2022, Sri Lankan police arrested Mudalige, a leading figure in the months-long "Go Home Gota" protests demanding the resignation of then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa (archived link).

He was released in February 2023 after being detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (archived link).

The identical picture was also shared alongside a similar claim on Facebook here and here.

However, the photo has been digitally altered.

Doctored photo

A reverse image search on Google found the genuine photo was published here on Mudalige's Facebook page on March 1, 2016 (archived link).

It shows Mudalige holding a placard that reads: "Say no to privatisation of universities".

Below is a screenshot comparison of the image in the misleading post (left) and the genuine photo on Mudalige's Facebook page (right):

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Screenshot comparison of the image in the misleading post (left) and the genuine photo on Mudalige's Facebook page (right)

Mudalige's placard displays an anti-privatisation slogan that the IUSF has promoted for years.

In a nation with free education, the Sri Lankan government has attempted to permit the establishment of private higher education institutions where students will pay for their courses in an effort to expand educational opportunities for more students (archived link).

Mudalige and the IUSF have taken an active stance against the proposal, arguing that it will discriminate against students who cannot afford course fees and lead to the commercialisation of education (archived link).

Guinness World Record holder

A Guinness World Records spokesperson said the record for the longest time to complete a degree is held by a man called Robert Cronin, while Mudalige holds no records with the organisation (archived link).

"The record is held by Robert F.P. Cronin who began his biology degree on February 9, 1948, at Princeton University, New Jersey, US, and graduated on May 30, 2000, taking 52 years and 111 days to complete the degree," the spokesperson told AFP on April 16, 2023.