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Liberal atmosphere a must for stopping ragging at universities: PM

21 April 2016 10:20 pm - 9     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

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Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe today stressed the need to have a liberal atmosphere within universities as a basis for stopping the incidence of ragging.

Mr. Wickremesinghe made these remarks addressing a workshop organized by the University Grants Commission (UGC) and the Centre for Gender Studies.

He said it was difficult to stop ragging as long as there was no liberal atmosphere.

“Most of you at the last presidential elections either addressed meeting or signed advertisements supportive of two main candidates -President Maithripala Sirisena or Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The majority of students voted for one of the two of them. The irony is that you can’t have these candidates or their supporters functioning in universities.

We have to resolve this issue. We are a multi-party state. We are planning to carry on as a multi-party state. Within the Universities such plurality must apply. In this present atmosphere could Professor Sarathchandra direct Maname in universities? He could have been prohibited from entering universities and the Maname cast would have been ragged,” he said.

The Prime Minister queried as to why the associations of any party, be it the United National Party, Sri Lanka Freedom Party, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Tamil National Alliance or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna could not function within the universities.

"There were times when Dr. N. M. Perera and Dudley Senanayake came and addressed the universities. It was quite open.” he added.

“Stopping ragging goes hand in hand with a liberal atmosphere. When you have student elections like in our days, different parties compete with each other and people are not ragged," he further said.

Mr. Wickremesinghe also asserted on the need to change the university structure.

“When the Minister of Law and Order consulted me with regard to the setting up of a university for Police and Criminal Justice, I recommend him not to look at the Sri Lankan University Structure but to look at the Australian structure which is a combination of UK and American one which has a deputy Vice Chancellor for Academic Development and Staff programme. While we look at this structure I would recommend having an Assistant Vice Chancellors for student services and student matters. We have student councillors but that is not adequate to resolve today’s issues,” the Prime Minister said.

“While we look at the setting up of a university for the Police and Criminal Justice, we should also look at how we change the laws with regard to role of the universities and the structure of the universities. Unfortunately we have the same structure which we had under the University of Ceylon Act in 1942,” he added. (Yohan Perera)

Pix by Kushan Pathiraja


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  Comments - 9

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  • mohan Friday, 22 April 2016 05:18 AM

    student who enjoying harassing (ragging ) others should not be terminated from university , latter these people become govt. servant and harassing general public

    lankan Friday, 22 April 2016 06:10 AM

    Things given free have less value. That is the root of the problem. Students who value it know how to conduct themselves.

    ANTON Friday, 22 April 2016 06:12 AM

    THOSE DAYS WE SAID " NAYAATA ANDUKOLA WAGEY "BUT NOW WE SAY " ALIYATA OPERA MUSIC WAGEY"

    Thanos Friday, 22 April 2016 09:22 AM

    Mr. RW sir, you talk sense but, talk is useless. You need reform tertiary education. All these arts degrees are useless. Focus should be more on Math, Science, Engineering and related fields.

    Dee Friday, 22 April 2016 09:33 AM

    Stop free uni. End of ragging.

    Sarathsk Friday, 22 April 2016 10:06 AM

    I fully agree with what the PM has said except for trying to impose the Australian university structure into Sri Lankan University system. A new system, if any to be introduced, should be suitable to the Sri Lankan context (i.e. an autochthonous structure) that should enable giving solutions to the existing problems. I am sure PM can understand this simple fact.

    citizen Friday, 22 April 2016 10:08 AM

    University ragging has assumed wild beast pattern. Unless strict law and order exercised, no remedy and justice. Who can do justice to nudity in dark, locked rooms. Must sack the beasts so that the rest can get educated and serve nation. No ragging in private medical school. It is safe.

    das Friday, 22 April 2016 12:26 PM

    Ragging is a process which has a complex socio-political dimension ans has been developed by these so-called student leaders into a bureaucratically efficient system of terror/ torture. It is not simply a situation of small minority of seniors harassing an unwilling group of new entrants, but a form of brainwashing that reaches new entrants even before they enter the universities. There are always some among the new entrants who fully support it and deceive/ compel others to participate or prevent them from escaping. All these issues need to be understood fully for any countermeasures to work.

    Sharon Friday, 22 April 2016 02:42 PM

    Please stop talking and take stern actions against ragging.


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