Campus violence

The tough stand taken by the academic staff of the Arts Faculty of the Colombo University it is hoped would send a clear message to the unruly elements in our campuses that they could not hold the country’s future generation to ransom to meet the sinister agendas of their political bosses.

It hopefully would herald in a sea change in dealing with the whole subject of campus violence that has proved to be the bane of higher education. It was only yesterday that we witnessed violence at the Ruhunu University and a clash between unemployed graduates and Police in the Fort.

The lecturers of the Arts faculty have refused to accept the letters of apology tendered by few students involved in the recent rumpus at the Colombo University premises, triggered by a spurious email campaign resulting in the assault of several lecturers.

They have insisted on an apology by a more sizable number of students if the Arts faculty is to resume lectures. This is certainly a bold step and has laid down the gauntlet to the students - take it or leave it - an attitude that was sadly absent in the past where the academic staff were inevitably forced to throw in the towel.

At last they have now shown courage and deigned to take the bull by the horns. It is hoped there will be no political interference to force the academic staff to relent. At last the University authorities have shown who is boss and the status quo should prevail.

The new approach no doubt will send a message to the unruly elements in universities that the days they called the shots are over. Such a bold step was long overdue and had such a stance been adopted earlier it would have greatly helped in stemming the rot in our universities.

The Government spends a massive sum on each student for free education. Students must use their time at universities to widen their horizons, without agitating against the State or the University administration.

The lecturers of the Arts faculty of the Colombo University would no doubt be hailed by many for their bold stance in not giving into thuggery and intimidation. Hopefully, this will herald an end to anarchy in the country’s seats of higher learning.

It also is significant that it is the Arts faculties that have always been the source of sabotage and anarchy in the University system. They have turned out to be hotbeds of student violence over the years.

On its part, the Government should tailor university courses to suit the job market, lest there be frustration among undergraduates on that count.

It is also noteworthy that in all past national uprisings it is this coterie of students who were in the forefront of anarchy and destruction in the campuses and made themselves willing tools in the hands of unscrupulous politicians who drew their support from the social underclass.

It is time that the authorities go deep into the malaise of campus violence and identify the reasons that give rise to militancy and social problems that foment it. It goes without saying that militancy springs from a sense of alienation and discrimination as was even evident during the confessions made at the trials of the 1971 uprising.

A recent survey showed that many rural schools still lack basic facilities including adequate teachers and infrastructure. Some schools do not even have proper buildings to house students.

In spite of the massive transformation ushered in the education sector by the present Government there is much more that needs to be done to bring rural schools on par with their city counterparts. It is by initiating such action that this alienation felt by a vast segment could be negated.

There is also an immediate need to overhaul the exiting curricular in schools and universities with the introduction of subjects relevant to modern day demands. More and more emphasis should be laid on the teaching of English - the key that will unlock the present generation to the world of knowledge and new innovations.

A thorough study should be conducted to ascertain the feasibility of some of the teaching methods in practice today and steps taken to do away with the obsolete systems and practises that have no bearing in the new order where new frontiers of knowledge are breached each day.

Measures should also be taken to give the widest possible access of this knowledge to all segments of our student population. It is only through such a process that we will be able pull down all barriers of alienation and insecurity allowing for a level playing field.

This will in turn arrest the scourge of student unrest and open the doors for a smooth running of the country’s higher education system.