Lecturers involved in stirring up students: SB

Thursday, 22 December 2011 11:52, Dailymirror.

Minister of higher education S.B. Dissanayake speaking to Daily Mirror online 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 said that during yesterdays 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 university 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 state 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 agrees 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 streets,” he said. (Hafeel Farisz)

Dec.26 will not be a public holiday

Thursday, 22 December 2011 11:04, Dailymirror.

The Ministry of Public Administration says that there is no decision to declare Monday December 26, a public holiday. The Employers Federation says there is a possibility to declare December 26 a mercantile holiday.

Pera students in unofficial strike

Thursday, 22 December 2011 10:59, Dailymirror.

Undergraduates of the Peradeniya University are currently abstaining from attending lectures and all other forms of academic and extra curricula activities in the university. According to source 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 alll 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 organised 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. The march which was scheduled to end in Colombo was suspended due to a court order obtained by the Police. (H.F)

Circular for Increasing Allowances was issued as per Budget Proposals 2012

http://www.treasury.gov.lk

Management Service Circular No. 46 with regard to the revision of allowances of Government Cooperation, Statutory Boards and Project staffs has been issued as per the Budget Proposals 2012.

Accordingly, the special allowance of the employees of the above institutions who serve in the posts entitled to salary scale of which the initial monthly salary is less than Rs. 24,725/= has been increased by 10% and the special allowance paid to the employees who serve in the posts entitled to salary scale of which the initial monthly salary is more than Rs. 24,725/= has been increased by 5% with effect from 01.01.2012 and another 5% increase with effect from 01.07.2012.

This increase of allowance is paid to the employees who serve on casual and daily basis with effect from 01.01.2012.

Undergrads seek President’s intervention to stop ragging

December 21, 2011, 10:09 pm , The Island

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Students of the Peradeniya University yesterday appealed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa to intervene to stop brutal ragging.

Addressing a press conference in Colombo, an Arts Faculty student of the University, Yukthi Ekadeera said that the Ministry of Higher Education and University administration’s efforts to stop ragging, which takes place especially in university hostels, had been in vain.

He said that 150 students of the Peradeniya Arts Faculty had given up studies due to severe ragging during the past three years.

"According to our information, 52, 39 and 59 students gave up university education in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively due to ragging," Ekadeera said.

He said that those students did not complain to either the university administration or the University Grants Commission for fear of reprisal.

A student has been admitted to the Kandy Hospital due to ragging but now student leaders were demanding the release of four undergraduates who were arrested over the incident, Ekadeera said.

According to the statistics of the medical centre, 115, 100 and 185 students had been treated during the so-called rag season in 2008, 2009 and 2010 respectively, Ekadeera said.

Second year arts faculty student Sanjeewa Bandara said that he too had undergone torture at the hands of his seniors in the name of ragging and called for an end to the inhuman practice.

Student unions suspended at Peradeniya

December 21, 2011, 10:06 pm , THe Island.

KANDY: The students union of the University of Peradeniya and the University’s Faculty Student Unions were suspended by the Vice Chancellor of the University Professor S. B. S. Abeykoon yesterday. The Vice Chancellor had taken the decision following recommendation by his advisory committee. (CW)