The Undergraduates of the Peradeniya University abstained from attending lectures and all other forms of academic and extracurricular activities of the university yesterday, as a mark of protest against the suspension of Student Unions, students said.
According to sources within the university, the Engineering faculty of the university has come to a complete standstill with students refusing to attend lectures. The source went on to state that the strike has been termed unofficial due to the fact that all unions have been suspended and therefore the strike cannot be termed as official.
The Vice Chancellor of the University suspended all unions with immediate effect due to the protest march that was organized by the students, citing security concerns together with the fact that the university has been brought into disrepute by the actions of the student unions.
Minister of higher education SB Dissanayake speaking to the Daily Mirror however, stated that certain lecturers were behind yesterdays protest and had instigated the students to behave in the way they did. He further stated that the students involved in acts of intimidation must be expelled.
According to sources within the university, the Engineering faculty of the university has come to a complete standstill with students refusing to attend lectures. The source went on to state that the strike has been termed unofficial due to the fact that all unions have been suspended and therefore the strike cannot be termed as official.
The Vice Chancellor of the University suspended all unions with immediate effect due to the protest march that was organized by the students, citing security concerns together with the fact that the university has been brought into disrepute by the actions of the student unions.
Minister of higher education SB Dissanayake speaking to the Daily Mirror however, stated that certain lecturers were behind yesterdays protest and had instigated the students to behave in the way they did. He further stated that the students involved in acts of intimidation must be expelled.
The Minister also stated that during yesterday’s protest four persons including two lecturers and two members of the non academic staff were assaulted by the students and are currently receiving treatment at the Kandy Hospital.
“The background of this is a very brutal one with many students involved in ragging. This university has been responsible for the deaths of students. Therefore they need to be curtailed. These students don’t even have a proper slogan, they can protest against the establishing of private universities, that I understand, but this is just one slogan they are hiding behind. The other requests that they have put forward which include an establishing of a management faculty are unrealistic, both the students and the academics know this” he said.
The Minister went on to allege that a certain section of the lecturers were directly responsible for the incidents that took place yesterday.
“There are lecturers that I know of who are personally responsible for the situation that arose. They had continued to assist the raggers over the years and it is the few of them who are to be held responsible together with the unions.” he said.
The outspoken minister went on to state that he agreed with the decision of the Vice Chancellor and the council to suspend all student Unions. “I think they took the right decision, if the students continue with this sort of thing it is their parents who will take to the street” he said.
“The background of this is a very brutal one with many students involved in ragging. This university has been responsible for the deaths of students. Therefore they need to be curtailed. These students don’t even have a proper slogan, they can protest against the establishing of private universities, that I understand, but this is just one slogan they are hiding behind. The other requests that they have put forward which include an establishing of a management faculty are unrealistic, both the students and the academics know this” he said.
The Minister went on to allege that a certain section of the lecturers were directly responsible for the incidents that took place yesterday.
“There are lecturers that I know of who are personally responsible for the situation that arose. They had continued to assist the raggers over the years and it is the few of them who are to be held responsible together with the unions.” he said.
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