Senior students barred from ATI

February 23, 2012, 10:02 pm , The Island.

by Dasun Edirisinghe

The Labuduwa Advanced Technological Institute in Galle had been declared out of bounds to its senior students from yesterday.

Student Affairs Director of the Ministry of Higher Education Keerthi Mavellage told ‘The Island’ that the decision to shut out the senior students was taken in the face inhuman ragging taking place there.

The raggers had assaulted one of the lecturers of the ATI for attempting to save the freshers from ragging on Wednesday. The senior students do not attend their lectures but remain in the premises to catch freshers for ragging, he said.

Mavellage said that one of the lecturers, on his way to a lecture theatre, had noticed some senior students ragging a group of newcomers. The lecturer had intervened and requested the senior students to disperse and leave the juniors alone where upon seniors had assaulted the lecturer.

The ministry was determined to eradicate ragging from the higher education institutes and maximum action would be taken against the raggers at the Labuduwa ATI, he said.

Those responsible for the assault had already been identified and legal action would be taken against them. They would be tried under the provisions of the Prevention and Prohibition of Ragging in Higher Educational Institutes Act 2009, he said.