News
UGC plans web-based complaints system to stop ragging
View(s):The University Grants Commission (UGC) will soon introduce a web based complaining system for victims of ragging, UGC Chairman Prof. Mohan de Silva said. The move came as anti-ragging groups are activating themselves to containing ragging in universities.
Prof. Silva said that the Standing Committee Gender Equity/Equality is discussing the introduction of a policy against ragging that could be practiced island wide. He said that the process of establishing a web based complaining system is a lengthy process and already the support of information technology experts has been sought to develop the system.
“ This web based system should be accessible to all students throughout the country and at the same time it should be effective,” he said. Prof. Silva said that he too was informed about students being ragged by seniors, cases of students escaping from ragging as well as those supporting anti-ragging campaigns.
“However the system to make complaints should be set up soon so that action can be taken against such incidents.We are even discussing with the Federation of University Teachers Association about ways to stop ragging,” he said.
He said he has also scheduled a further meeting with the Colombo University authorities about the complaints of ragging and a case of anti-ragging students at the Institute of Indigenous Medicine being assaulted.
Chanuka Perera, president of the students’ union of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at Sri Jayawardanapura University said that ragging is not needed to socialise and introduce a subculture in a university.
He explained that the whole faculty took up an anti-ragging stance and introduced a combination of items to cultivate leadership qualities among the students. Mr. Perera said that the student identification programme would be effected by organising a sports meet or a blood donation programme or by letting freshers stage a drama to collect money for charity work.
“ We university students are here because we are the knowledgeable few who passed exams and scored high marks. We came to climb the ladder of education therefore we can unite by using that knowledge for the good of society,” he said.
A student who is supporting the anti-ragging concept at Kelaniya university said that the science faculty there is also taking a stand against ragging. She said that the student union of the science faculty of which she is a member is not linked with the Inter University Students Federation (IUSF).
“We too are carrying out a campaign to establish an anti-ragging culture by having no ragging since 1999,” she said.
The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) chairman Dr. Rangika Halwatura said that two meetings with the IUSF had been held and a dialogue started between students and university academic staff.
He said that FUTA supports anti-ragging ideas but he personally does not like to divide students as ragging supporters and anti-ragging groups. Therefore FUTA has started to have a series of meetings with each student union.
Lahiru Weerasekara, Convener of the University Students Federation (IUSF) said his organisation is not aware as to who is creating an anti-ragging group.