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Rajarata University authorities say reopening date soon to be announced
View(s):A date to reopen the Rajarata University will be decided on after a report on the recent incidents that took place at the university is submitted on July 21, the University’s Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof. Ranjith Wijewardena said. He said a committee was appointed by the University Administration to look into the incidents and submit a detailed report.
“Following the unrest in the university and the incidents that took place on the 26th and 27th of last month, lecturers and other staff members refrained from work. The University Administration then decided to close the university indefinitely,” Prof. Wijewardena said, adding that student unions had been temporarily dissolved on Friday till the situation improved.
On June 26, a large number of students took the VC hostage and detained him for 23 hours. University authorities said lecturers were also taken hostage by the students who made a number of demands including the lifting of a suspension on 28 students.
“We wrote to the administration informing them that we did not have a favourable environment to conduct lectures. We took trade union action to refrain from working till the matter was resolved,” General Secretary of the Rajarata University Teachers Association (RUTA) Ven. Dr. Olangawatte Chandrasiri Thera said.
He added that they received several complaints from the academic staff that they had been finding it hard to continue working. The Thera said members of RUTA would meet on Tuesday to decide their future course of action.
Meanwhile the university’s Independent Student Federation secretary Anidu Chaturanga said the standoff between the students and the university administration started last year. He said the university authorities together with the University Grants Commission had organised an exhibition, ‘Gamai Sarasaviyai’. Students from several other universities, villagers and others had been invited to the event. “However the Rajarata Student Federation protested against this event. Twenty eight students were suspended for disrupting academic work. Some of the students had apologised and their suspensions were lifted,” he said. However the suspensions of 11 students remained.
Mr. Chaturanga said the student federation launched a protest campaign this year demanding the lifting of the suspension of the remaining students, among other demands. He said this year’s protest was launched with the aid of the first and second year students.“As an independent union we condemn the actions of the federation. There are thousands of students in the university and only a few want to protest,” he said adding that their union was on the side of the lecturers.
“We want immediate action taken on this matter. Students who are guilty of disrupting academic work should be punished or even expelled,” he added.
In the meantime three students including the President of the Rajarata University Student Federation was arrested by the police and following a court order were remanded till Wednesday.
“They were arrested on charges of threatening the academic staff members. But these allegations are false. None of the teachers was held hostage by the student federation. The teachers remained with the VC of their own accord,” the federation’s secretary Amila Perera said.
He explained that they they decided to take this step when the VC failed to address their issues. “We detained the VC on the 200th day of our protest campaign. We made nine demands. They included lifting the suspension of the students, availability of clean drinking water and the safety of all students.
He said another of their top demands was to stop ‘selling degrees’ as it would destroy the free education system in the country.The police had said they would arrest 28 students over the hostage-taking incident complained Mr. Perera.“The authorities promised solutions but nothing has happened,” he charged.