UGC chief defends tough action at universities

‘Deal with simmering crisis now or face the consequences’

January 16, 2012, 9:54 pm , The Island.

Deans of Sri Jayawardenapura University together with the Vice Cancellor meet President Mahinda Rajpaksa on Monday at Temple Trees. Higher Educational Minister, S.B. Disanayaka, Secretary to the President, Lalith Weeratunga and the Secretary to the Ministry of Higher Education, Sunil Jayantha Navarathna were present. Seated neat to Minister Dissanayake is Prof. Gamini Samaranayake.

(pic Chandana Perera)

by Shamindra Ferdinando

Chairman of the University Grants Commission Prof. Gamini Samaranayake yesterday (16) strongly defended tough action taken by University administration to thwart the JVP and so-called JVP rebels from causing mayhem at higher education institutions.

The veteran educationalist emphasized the pivotal importance of tackling troublemakers, regardless of political consequences in a brief interview with ‘The Island’. The failure to curb their despicable strategy would be catastrophic, Prof. Samaranayake said, while acknowledging the right of the student community to engage in politics. But that shouldn’t be the exclusive prerogative of the JVP and other like-minded elements.

The UGC chief was responding to National Freedom Front (NFF) leader and Housing Minister Wimal Weerawansa’s allegation that universities were in turmoil today primarily due to shortcomings on the part of administrators. The former JVP firebrand also accused a section of the administrators of being unfair and irrational in their decision making, thereby causing the rapid deterioration of the system.

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake, too, is a proponent of tough action against those causing disturbances at universities. During a visit to the Faculty of Applied Sciences, Vavuniya, Minister Dissanayake vowed not to succumb to those seeking to undermine university administration.

In a letter dated Jan. 13, addressed to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, parliamentarian Weerawansa urged tough action against university administrators responsible for the chaotic situation at universities. The MP accused administrators of driving students into the hands of disruptive political elements.

Prof. Samaranayake insisted that it would be a grave mistake on the part of the government to allow those bent on subverting democracy to run universities. The country couldn’t afford to turn a blind eye to bankrupt politicians exploiting universities and schools to pursue their sordid political projects, which would only result in chaos in post-war Sri Lanka, Prof. Samaranayake said.

Referring to a meeting he had with former Chairman of UGC, India, Prof. Samaranayake said that the Indian official thrice stressed the need to take stern action to ensure discipline at higher educational institutions. Asked whether a special strategy was needed to tackle trouble at universities, Prof. Samaranayake advocated a two-pronged strategy to deal with the situation. The university administrators had no option but to take stern action, regardless of political consequences, when handling issues created by the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) at the behest of external elements. "But in case of an issue involving the administration and the student community we could be flexible," Prof. Samaranayake said, while pushing for a no-nonsense approach towards the situation created by the JVP.

The JVP would push hard, real hard to take control of the situation. Although it wouldn’t be able to achieve the capacity to launch an armed insurrection, they could cause a severe crisis by a sustained mass protest campaign targeting the incumbent government. They wouldn’t mind taking casualties as long as they believed their destabilization strategy could succeed, the official said. Although the circumstances were different, the JVP could again exploit both universities and schools as it did in 1971 and 1987-1990, he said. Marxism could be irrelevant in many parts of world, though the JVP remained a significant factor in universities due to their clever strategies.

The JVP considered universities as safe havens for their sordid operations and used them as a springboard to advance political strategies, the UGC head said. Asked whether the threat posed by the JVP was different from that of the LTTE, Prof. Samaranayake said that both could be equally disruptive, though their strategies were different. The JVP never had an opportunity to achieve the LTTE’s conventional military capabilities, though the destruction caused by the group during its second abortive insurgency was extensive, he said.

Prof. Samaranayake said that nothing could be as bad as ignoring ongoing JVP efforts to ignite universities. Unless corrective measures were taken immediately, though they may not be to the liking of some, the situation could develop into a mega crisis. The need was to deal with the threat firmly, thereby thwarting possible future catastrophy, which could require drastic measures to contain, Prof. Samaranayake warned. The UGC pushed for cohesive action to clear universities of troublemakers. The universities couldn’t be run at the behest of the JVP and likeminded groups, he said.