Doors open to undergrads – SB

Chaminda PERERA

The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Jatika Peratugami Pakshaya are trying to create a wedge between the Sinhalese and Tamils, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said. He said they are using university students as cats paw to achieve their objectives.

The minister was speaking at a ceremony at the University Grants Commission to mark the assumption of duties by former University of Colombo Vice Chancellor Prof Kshenika Hiriburegama as the University Grants Commission chairman. He said university students can discuss their problems and grievances at any time with him.

“Doors of my house are always kept open for them to air their problems and grievances,” Dissanayake said.

The minister said most university students are dependable. “A handful of university undergraduates act impatiently due to ignorance and outside pressure,” Dissanauake said.

The minister said teachers and parents should have a better understanding about the students’ needs.

He said parents should be friendly with their children to deal with them easily.Minister Dissanayake commended President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s decision to appoint Professor Hiriburegama as the UGC chairman.He said Prof Hiriburegama has showed her forte of working closely with youths at the University of Colombo.

“She succeeded in eliminating ragging and students’ disputes from the University of Colombo,” he said.

Minister Dissanayake said Colombo University became the best university in Sri Lanka under her able leadership as its Vice Chancellor.

The minister said Professor Hiriburegama managed to uplift the standard of the university to international level.

“The University of Colombo was ranked among the top 2,000 universities in the world when she was holding the Vice Chancellor’s post,” he said.

He said university students in the North were barred from speaking in Sinhala for the past 30 years while students in the South were prevented from speaking in Tamil and English during this time. The minister said he ended this completely.

Minister Dissanayake said the academic staff of universities have been supporting the leadership training programme. “The cooperation and amity between university students have developed tremendously due to the leadership development programme,” he said.

UGC chairperson Shenika Hiriburegama, deputy chairman Prof Ranjith Senarathna, secretary Tissa Nandasena, Chancellor Emiritus Archbishop of Colombo Oswald Gomis, chancellors, vice chancellors and officers were present.