Govt. tackles student issues in highhanded manner – FUTA

June 5, 2013, 10:11 pm , the island

By Dasun Edirisinghe

The government’s crushing of Sabaragamuwa University undergraduates’ protest last Saturday proved its overall plan to manipulate and control universities according to its whims and fancies and to gradually destroy the state education system, Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA) claimed yesterday.

Addressing a media briefing at the Open University of Sri Lanka, FUTA President Dr. Nirmal Ranjith Dewasiri said that it was extremely important to engage constructively and critically with students regarding their collective actions.

"We unreservedly condemn the violent response of the authorities to students’ protest and call upon them to adopt a more flexible approach in dealing with student issues," he said.

 Dr. Dewasiri said that the government’s response was extremely provocative and high-handed. Even violent demonstrations and fasts by members close to the government were dealt with completely differently when compared to how student demonstrations and protests were handled.

Banning of student unions of the Sabaragamuwa University few months ago was a violation of the democratic rights of students, the FUTA chief said, adding that they believed that the crisis that had developed over the last few days was yet another consequence of the short-sighted measures of university authorities in responding to student protests.

"Our attention is drawn to two aspects in relation to this situation: firstly, the response of the university administration to student protests and secondly the response of the police and government authorities to student protests," Dr. Dewasiri said, noting that they had found that the university administration police as well as government authorities had comprehensively failed to respond effectively and appropriately to the situation that has arisen due to student protests.

The senior academic also said that the Teachers’ Union of Sabaragamuwa University had grave concerns about student behaviour in the buildup and during the series of protests. However, that did not justify the anti-democratic and aggressive response of the authorities to the student protest, Dr. Dewasiri said. 

The police riot squad finally dispersed the protesters with the liberal use of tear gas after they blocked the Badulla–Colombo highway for about six hours.