Editorial - Depoliticizing universities

Every time the university lecturers and the non-academics, in their weeklong trade union struggles, go to ask for more, the gates of the universities are closed against the faces of the students. The same is true when the student groups within the universities go to show their fist power in order to win their demands. These struggles, though dubbed to be instigated by students, are no means innocent. There are damages to public properties, fatalities and injuries to be counted at the end of each.
The University of Moratuwa remained clean without its share of dark days until last Wednesday (16) when two student groups clashed in the wee hours of the morning, fatally injuring a final year engineering student on the verge of his final exam.

The rivalry between the NDT (National Diploma in Technology) and the engineering students hasn’t been anything new to those who are familiar with the history of Moratuwa. That the two student fraternities are not seeing eye to eye is hardly an exaggeration though their disconnect had never reached to a point where one attacks the other in cold blood.



Whether it was only the NDT students who broke into the engineering faculty hostels or they were being lead by any external force, needs to be promptly investigated. If an armed group could freely walk into the university premises at the dead of the night and attack the students who were on their beds or studying , it leaves a serious question about their safety and wellbeing. Those who witnessed the horrendous scene charged that the Police did not come into the students’ rescue nor did they think it was fit to intervene.

After a disturbing night, the two faculties are closed until further notice. A huge majority of the students who had no hands in the conflict have been yet again sent packing.  Parents go to the extent of mortgaging their property and pawning their jewellery to send their children to universities. Every closure of this nature delays their entrance to the job market. Those who consider the unemployed graduates a nuisance need to be mindful of the fact that, an academic term devoid of unnecessary closures would have placed them far more advantageously in the employment pedestals.

Throughout history, the political parties irrespective of their colours, misused the passions and dynamics of the university students for their advantage. Thus, behind every internal conflict that takes the university system by storm, one could see a hidden political paw that spurs a little dislike into humongous hatred.
Hence, the need of the hour is to depoliticize the university system and make them safer and more student- friendly for the posterity. Rigid action should be taken against those who think violence is an inherent characteristic of a university student.

If not the days when the universities become battle grounds of political pocket-gangs won’t be far.