Ragging: A call for moral reform in universities
“Why have we not come to the conclusion many decades ago, that education about and of the mind is a necessity, if not a mandatory requirement for every child in school?” When this question was raised at a forum developing school curricula, the panel of experts dismissed it, stating that moral development does not fall under their purview. Today, as the country grapples with hatred, fear, and tension surrounding ragging in state universities and the tragic suicides of undergraduates, these same experts point to the psychological issues of the perpetrators.
Ragging is not new
Ragging is not a new issue in the university sector. The recorded history of ragging dates back to the 1850s. Originally conceived as a light-hearted tradition to raise funds and help incoming students stay humble, ragging has since devolved into a harmful practice that tarnishes the reputation of universities in the eyes of society. In the Sri Lankan university system, the first widely reported and heart-wrenching case of ragging occurred in 1975, when Rupa Rathnaseeli, a newly enrolled undergraduate, was left paralysed for life while attempting to escape inhumane ragging. Since then, numerous incidents have shaken society, distressed the academic community, and prompted the enforcement of policies aimed at eradicating this deeply rooted issue. Unfortunately, ragging like a silent snake crawls underneath, and we wake up suddenly when someone gets killed by the venomous poison. The heartbreaking suicide of a second-year student attached to a state university stirred the issue of ragging once again. Society and institutions were busy trying to find culprits. Universities once regarded as bastions of wisdom and moral guidance, are now being questioned for their failure to eradicate ragging.
Legal intervention
Pressing on the bitter experiences in universities and other educational institutions, the government enacted the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act, No. 20 of 1998 to eliminate ragging in any form in education institutions. The University Grants Commission enforced a series of regulations listed below to ensure a violence-free academic environment.
- UGC Circular No. 919: Guidelines to be introduced to curb the menace of ragging in the Universities or Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs) – 2010
- UGC Circular No. 12/2019: Strategies/Actions to be implemented to combat Ragging & Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) in state Universities and Higher Educational Institutes – 2019
- UGC Circular No. 04/2020: Complaints on Ragging and Sexual and Gender-based violence (SGBV) made by student and staff members to the Universities/Campuses/Institutes – 2020
- UGC Circular No. 14/2022: Open and Equitable Access Policy for All Students in Higher Educational Institutions/Institutes – 2022
- UGC Circular No. 02/2023: Common Directives/Guidance on non-Evidenced, Anonymous Complaints and Discontinuation of Investigations at Universities`- 2023
- UGC Circular No. 01/2025: Developing a Survivor Support System for Student Safety and Well-Being: Ensuring Gender Equity in Hostel Regulations and Safety of New Entrants – 2025
Without limiting to these, frequent discourses, research and structures were brought up to fulfil this intention. Reflecting on the well-intentioned policies, efforts, and research conducted over the years, one must question whether the issue has been treated in isolation, addressing symptoms without fully considering the broader context and its influence on the phenomenon.
Look beyond the surface
Critical Realism philosophy introduced by Roy Bhaskar shows multiple realities in the world, which exist beyond human interpretation and knowledge, shaped by social and historical contexts. These realities lie in three domains, empirical, actual and real. Empirical reality is what we observe and experience and assume as ‘The reality’. Ragging as unacceptable, barbaric torment on freshers entering the university is what we see in the empirical world. We often assume that ragging can be prevented by enacting law and order and enforcing strict punishments on predators. “The prevailing approach to curbing ragging; punishing a few identified perpetrators, suspending academic activities, or publicly shaming ‘raggers’ through social and mainstream media, assumes that deterrence alone is sufficient. Yet, despite these measures and the enactment of numerous laws over the years, ragging continues to persist. This raises a critical question: how many laws have we already passed in our attempt to eliminate ragging, and why have they failed to produce lasting change?”
Are we holding the wrong end of the tail? If detecting the predators, and penalising is the answer, we would not experience the brutality of ragging any more in the purest seats of intellectual spirit. The structures, discourses and research on ragging require moving the antenna in different directions and excavating to the deepest domain of reality, as Critical Realism explains. We need to look beneath the immediate causes and cures for ragging. How and why ragging occurs, the underlying mechanisms and structures remain hidden, if we do not pay serious attention to dig deep the iceberg.
Research has identified generally, the perpetrators or ‘raggers’ are from economically backward families, admitting universities from rural areas, have violent households, have unhappy childhoods, personalities distorted, are poorly dressed, unhygienic etc. Class divisions such as rich vs. poor, urban vs. rural, schools etc. also play a divide, demarcating raggers and victims. Victims who suffer from depression and who tend to commit suicide, as we have seen in the recent past, also hold common traits. They fear expressing their views, are suppressed at households, and schools, are pampered by parents and teachers, and hold strong opinions and rigid mental frameworks that make them introverts, making it difficult for them to rebound from adversity or confront challenges.
University authorities on the other hand; the academics, administrators, and lawmakers are sometimes myopic, prone to examine only the surface, and take the common approach of building barriers and penalising against ragging. For decades, we have done the same thing, which has only aggravated the issue, not the other way around.
Fear plays a pivotal role
Penetrating deep down to the real domain, it is unearthed that ‘fear’ plays a pivotal role in ragging. The raggers or seniors who exercise ragging suffer from ‘fear’ that the fresher would outsmart them. They fear that seniors’ status, recognition, respect, and survival will be lost if they do not force ‘fear’ upon the new entrants to the university. The belief that the customs, and traditions of one’s own are better than those of the other creates ‘fear’. The newcomers ‘fear’ to the unknown. Unknown territory, unknown people, disciplines and structures, instil ‘fear’ in the hearts of the fresher, where some would surrender to rag, and some would surrender to their emotions and failing to overcome fear, and standing alone, end up being depressed and some committing suicide. The administration, academia and authorities ‘fear’ to fail in curbing ragging on one hand, and some ‘fear’ creating grudges with students/student unions and becoming unpopular. The first lot makes every effort to catch and punish raggers, while the others shut their eyes over ragging and stay away from trouble.
Fear stems from uncertainty. A lack of knowledge, courage, and identity breeds this uncertainty. Aren’t these precisely the domains universities are meant to nurture? The enhancement of knowledge, the instillation of courage, and the fostering of identity are among the fundamental responsibilities of higher education institutions.
Moral Enhancement
Rather than limiting their efforts to surface-level interventions, universities must cultivate awareness among all stakeholders; perpetrators, victims, and staff, about their roles, responsibilities, and shared contributions to the institution, society, and humanity and inculcate trust among each other. They must educate and encourage open discourse on rights and responsibilities, moral values, and virtues and respect for the other and the self. Through education, universities can build the confidence and moral strength needed to stand for what is right and reject what is wrong. It is essential to nurture the identities of young people who seek knowledge, recognition, and respect. By instilling morality in their mindsets, universities can help students naturally reject ragging and the subcultures that perpetuate it. To weed out fear, universities must sow the moral capacities of their communities.
As Chinese scholar Chu Cheng Po wisely stated, “Reforming men’s minds comes before reforming institutions.” No reform will succeed unless it begins with transforming individual mindsets and establishing a foundation of morality. By cultivating moral capacities among all actors; students (both raggers and victims), academics, administrators, and law enforcement authorities, universities can finally realise the vision they have pursued for decades: universities that are rag-free, virtuous, and truly reflective of intellectual spirit.
(The author is a senior education administrator, researcher, management consultant and a lecturer. She can be reached at cv5imbulgoda@gmail.com)
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