Universities function normally in spite of IUSF agitations - SB

Chamikara WEERASINGHE

All universities are functioning smoothly in spite of protests and agitations triggered by the Inter University Student's Federation (IUSF), Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake told the Daily News yesterday .

According to Dissanayake, the IUSF is working on a political agenda being an instrument of the JVP, to cause major unrest in the university system, but they are far from achieving their desired goal.

IUSF convener president Sanjeewa Bandara said that University Dons are working against students due to political reasons.

"The University administration is going to add to overall financial burdens on students. They are going to install every hostel room with electricity and water meters to charge their costs from the students. They are also going to increase the hostel fee," explained Bandara.

Asked about this, Minister Dissanayake said the electricity bills of hostels have increased to millions.

"Most students leave their fans on to dry their clothes when they go for lectures. If they use these facilities they should also learn to take the responsibility of their use, " the minister said.

He also said there are many buildings including lecture halls laboratories that need to be renovated and reconstructed in universities.

"We have taken steps to refurbish these constructions. In fact we have stepped up action to address all problems that affect our university system," he explained. The Higher Education Ministry has takes action to recruit teachers to Universities.

Bandara said the University administration had gone to the level of suppressing the students. They have suspended classes of 210 students up to now. In some universities they have suspended Student Unions for conducting demonstrations against Vice Chancellors, " he said.

"Some Vice Chancellors are unapproachable to students. Students can hardly approach Vice Chancellor of Colombo University Prof Kshanika Hirumburegama. Sometimes she goes as far as to take disciplinary action against the students for trying to contact her," he said.

Asked from Prof Hirumburegama about her being hardly available to students, she said that any student can contact her over the phone and she would talk to them unless she was at a meeting.

She said about 300 students came to meet her on Wednesday to discuss about a matter while she was at a meeting with an ambassador.

"Even then I did not refuse to meet them. I asked that their leader and another four or five students may meet me after that meeting in progress. They demanded that I come and meet them at once," she said and added: "They must understand that they are students and we are their teachers."