Minister warns unruly students

By Deepal Warnakulasuriya, The Nation.

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayaka said the Government was ready to take bold decisions against unruly students as the Government worked only in the national interest and not on personal political agendas.
Minister Dissanayaka said he had already instructed the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) to take stern action against the students who did not perform well repeatedly. “Open University allows students who didn’t reach the cut off marks to enter other universities. They should follow a foundation course first and then register for a degree or diploma courses. There are students who failed even the foundation course”, Minister points out.
He stressed new rules will be introduced soon to terminate the studentship of such students as they were the section which were directly involved in ragging and other unruly incidents within the university premises. The Minister further said that OUSL students who failed all the subjects in the first year twice would also face the same fate.
He also explained that around 80 percent of OUSL students were over 35 years old and employed. Another 20% entered the Open University after their Advanced Levels. “Around five percent of students from the second category are creating unnecessary problems inside the University”, Higher Education Minister added.
He also added that since it was too late to implement such decisions within the Sri Lankan university framework, it had badly affected the country’s education.

Assault on Preadeniya Prof: Suspect identified

 By Sandun Jayawardana, The Nation.

Police Media Spokesperson SP Ajith Rohana said a Peradeniya University student allegedly involved in the assault on several academic and non-academic staff members at the university has been identified by the complainant. Police have named him to the university authorities, he said. He added investigations were underway to identify other students who may have been involved.
The complainant, Head of the university’s Department of Geography, Professor Shantha Hennayake, accused the university’s student union and its Arts Faculty Student Union of being responsible for the assault which took place on Wednesday (21). Speaking to The Nation, Hennayake accused the President of the Art’s Faculty Student Union of being personally involved in the assault, with another gang of 20-25 students.
When contacted, Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake said they have taken steps to suspend one student identified as having been involved in the ragging incident of the Ruhuna University, adding the same punishment would be handed out to the students who were found to have been involved in the alleged attack of the Peradeniya University lecturer and others.
Meanwhile, President of the Arts Faculty Student Union, Mahesh Lanka Prabhashwara, denied his involvement in the incident.

Cartoon of the day, 24/12/2011,The Island.

Ruhunu senior undergrad suspended

December 23, 2011, 9:46 pm

By Nilantha Maduarawala, The Island

The Ruhuna University administration has suspended a senior female undergraduate of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences for admitting a junior colleague, injured in a ragging incident, to a hospital without informing the authorities, university sources said.

The junior female student, belonging to the first year batch, had been ragged by seniors and her spinal cord had been damaged, hospital sources said adding that the injured had been transported to Matara Hospital in a tri-shaw, which mode of transport was believed to have worsened the injury.

The injured student had been transferred to Colombo National Hospital under instruction of Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake, Vice Chancellor of the university Prof Gamini Senanayake told The Island yesterday.

The university would conduct an internal investigation into the incident and those found guilty would be dealt with severely, Prof. Senanayake said.

 

LECTURERS STIRRING UP STUDENTS, SAYS SB

• 24 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
• BY HAFEEL FARISZ

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.

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.

Peradeniya Arts Faculty Teachers condemn state iron fist

December 23, 2011, 9:53 pm, The Island.

By Cyril Wimalasurendre

KANDY: The Peradeniya Arts Faculty Teachers Association (PAFTA) has strongly condemned the excessive use of force by the state to suppress the lawful expression of dissent by the students of the University of Peradeniya on Wednesday (21).

The PAFTA in a statement issued yesterday (23) has stated that it also condemned the suspension of the student unions of the university by the Vice Chancellor on the recommendation of an Advisory Committee.

However, the PAFTA has warned the student body to use democratic means to settle differences.

The statement of the PAFTA is as follows:

"On 21st the student body of the University of Peradeniya embarked on a march to Colombo to protest against the proposed new University Act. The march was stopped by, an inordinately high number of armed personnel of the state who were deployed in and around the university premises. We as the Peradeniya Arts Faculty Teachers’ Association(PAFTA), strongly condemn the excessive use of force by the State to suppress the lawful expression of dissent by the student body of the University of Peradeniya. We also condemn the use of armed Military personnel in matters concerning actions of civil society.

"PAFTA also condemn the temporary suspension of the Student Unions of the Peradeniya University by the vice chancellor on the recommendation of an advisory committee. Firstly, it is the democratic right of the students to organize themselves and hence banning of the student unions contravenes this right. Secondly, we see this decision as an arbitrary act, taken without following any procedure of inquiry. By banning student unions, they are stripped of their democratic rights, forcing them to go underground. We know from history that this could have deplorable consequences.

"We also urge the students and the academic staff to avoid unnecessary confrontations. As mature and responsible members of the academic staff we should strive to maintain normalcy at times like these. On the other hand, if any of the students have assaulted a member of the staff, we condemn that action strongly and urge the student body to use democratic means to settle differences and remind them that they have no moral right to preach what they do-not practice.

" We at PAFTA, have not, so far, heard from the lecturer concerned. He has not made any complaint either to PAFTA or to the University authorities concerning the incident that is purported to have taken place on Wednesday 21, December, 2011, involving him. The directive demanding action on the student unions has come from forces outside the university administrative structure. We are deeply unhappy about this and wish to voice our protest at this kind of arbitrary action. Such interventions are a grave threat to the autonomy of the University system, which we are fighting hard to maintain in spite of extreme external pressures.

"In the matter of the incidents that took place on Wednesday the 21st, we request all concerned to voice their protest against violent suppressions of legitimate dissent. We also request that all action taken by the authorities follow transparent democratic procedures. And in conclusion, we appeal to all to restore normalcy in the University and to restore the democratic rights of all."

 

STUDENT LEADER ALLEGES INHUMANE RAGGING AT PERADENIYA

• 23 Dec 2011
• Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)
• BY SUMAIYA RIZVI

The inhumane ragging at the University of Peradeniya has been reaching new heights and the recently reported sexual abuse is the tip of the iceberg, AntiRagging Students’ Collective convener Yukti Ekadeera said yesterday.
Anti Ragging Students’ Collective convener Yukti Ekadeera speaking at the news conference with Sanjeewa Bandara looking on. Pic by Kushan Pathiraja “Physical abuse has taken a turn for the worse, leading to sexual abuse. We also have proof that students are forced to work at the massage parlour,” Mr. Ekadeera said. He said he too was victimized during his first year at the University of Peradeniya when he was beaten and put into a toilet pit.

According to him, only a handful of the student union leaders take ragging to new heights, deeply scarring the victims. All first year students face the dilemma of choosing between pleasing the student unions and adhering to the University administration, Mr. Ekadeera said.
“We are forced to take part in protests against the University Administration,” Mr. Ekadeera said. The student unions would force the first year students to oppose the University administration’s orders and as a result, the first year students would be suspended, he said.
“These are the terrors that exist within Universities and we want the whole country to know,” Mr. Ekadeera said.

Ruhunu Uni victim of ragging transferred to NH

23 Dec 2011, Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka)

A first-year-student of the faculty of Social Sciences of the Ruhunu University, who was admitted to the Matara General Hospital after she sustained serious injuries to her hip bone due to ragging by senior students of the University, was transferred to the Colombo National Hospital yesterday.
It was alleged that 21-year-old Wathsala Kumudinie de Silva was subjected to ragging at the university canteen by a group of senior students. Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake had ordered that an ambulance be rushed to the scene to take Wathsala to the National Hospital for treatment.

Minister Dissanayake told the media that a student of the Peradeniya University had been both emotionally and physically scarred as a result of inhumane ragging. He claimed that ragging was yet to be eliminated from the Ruhu-
nu and Peradeniya Universities. The Minister said that the JVP was behind these incidents and he also put the blame for such occurrences on the Vice Chancellors of the two universities, saying they too will be held responsible.
Matara SSP Sumith Edirisinghe, SP Damayantha Wijeya Sri, HQI Hishantha Perera and SI K.m.a.gunaratne were conducting inquiries into the incident on the instructions of Senior DIG, Southern Province, Lalith Jayasinghe.

Suspending of Unions is first step to privatisation of education: JVP

Thursday, 22 December 2011 16:23, Dailymirror

The JVP alleged that the suspending of Students Unions of the Peradeniya University is the first step towards creating a conducive environment for the introduction of Privatisation of free education in the country. The JVP stated that the government’s suppression of the democratic rights of students would lead to bloodshed.

At a press conference held at the JVP headquarters politburo member of the party Sunil Handuneththi alleged that the suspension was a clear political move by the government. “The suspension of the constitutional rights of the students to assemble and be a part of a Union is a clear political move of the government towards the privatisation of education. We believe that the government is creating an atmosphere for the introduction of the Private universities bill in February next year, and these are the steps the government is taking to suppress democratic opposition,” he said. The for Parliamentarian went on to point out that history has taught this country how the suppression of students could lead to bloodshed.

The JVP also stated that the reasoning given by the Vice Chancellor for the suspension of the Unions were laughable. “The Vice Chancellor had stated that the actions of the Unions have brought the university into disrepute, there is nothing more laughable than this, when in fact it is the actions and policies of the government and its puppet administrators that have brought the universities into disrepute. The fact that there are faculties that have been created without building, the fact that students can’t pass out due to non-availability of lecturers and the very fact that uneducated men have been bestowed with doctorates are the very actions that have brought the universities and the education system of the country into disrepute,” he said.

Handuneththi went on to say that the JVP would continue to fight against the privatisation of universities and the rights of the students. “We will keep on fighting against this government’s undemocratic and draconian policies. We will force the government to ensure that basic rights of these student be protected,” he said. (Hafeel Farisz)

Pera undergrads boycott lectures

December 22, 2011, 10:00 pm , The Island/

by Dasun Edirisinghe

Undergraduates of the Peradeniya University boycotted lectures yesterday in protest against the suspension of the students’ council and student unions on Wednesday by the university administration.

University sources said that students had held a protest opposite the Senate building demanding the withdrawal of the suspension order, but they had to disperse as the university administration refused to do so.

A spokesman for the students however said, they would not stop the protest against the suspension of the students’ council and student unions.

The decision to suspend students’ council and student unions was taken by the Vice Chancellor Professor S. B. S. Abeykoon following recommendation by his advisory committee.

Meanwhile, the Inter University Students’ Federation said that they would launch a separate protest campaign shortly against government’s suppression of undergraduates.

IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told The Island that so far the government suspended 24 students unions and six student councils.

Bandara said that student unions were allowed by the university act, but the government’s newest move it was violating it.

He said that a protest march organized from Peradeniya to Colombo, which was scheduled to be started on the same day, was also stopped by the police obtaining a court order.

"We planned to hold that four-day protest march against the establishment of private universities and suppression of student rights," Bandara said adding this government did not allow a peaceful protest march too.