No end in sight to S’gamuwa campus crisis

By Isuri Kaviratne, Pix by Saman Kariyawasam.

Today is the 28th day since the closure of the University of Sabaragamuwa. Despite a notice from the administration that the university would be reopened on November 20, students stressed that they had no intention of returning without having their demands met.

Students claim the Applied Science Faculty of the University situated in Buttala in the Uva Province has been closed regularly citing security threats from the LTTE. According to Thilina Kurukulasuriya, President of the students union of the Applied Science Faculty, a wild elephant had once entered the faculty as the area is surrounded by thick jungle.

Students of the Sabaragamuwa University protesting outside the University Grants Commission on Friday.

He added the faculty did not have proper chemistry and physics laboratories though there are students who are specializing in chemistry and physics. The university laboratories are worse than school laboratories he said, adding that there were no protected areas to store chemicals either. He charged the university administration had not been able provide the faculty with basic infrastructure. Even the faculty canteen was run by the student’s union he claimed. Kurukulasuriya said their request was that the Applied Science Faculty be brought into the Sabaragamuwa University premises and reopened.

He pointed out that since the Management Faculty of the University was shifted to new premises, the buildings and labs vacated by the 600 Management Faculty students could be used instead. He claimed that intake into the faculty had decreased over the past few years due to lack of infrastructure at the faculty. He claimed this was the reason behind fewer number of students studying there.

According to Kurukulasuriya while the university administration had sent a notice to students stating the Faculty at Buttala would reopen from November 15 and other faculties would be reopened on November 20, the request of students of all faculties who participated in the sathyagraha’ in front of the University Grants Commission was that the university to be reopened with Applied Science Faculty situated within the premises at Belihuloya where the other faculties were situated.

Kurukulasuriya claimed the Vice Chancellor (VC) did not try to solve the problem. He added neither Minister of Higher Education Wishwa Warnapala nor Minister for Education Susil Premajayantha or Deputy Minister for Higher Education Mohammad Mustafa had discussed the problem with students. He said the Acting VC of the University had been notifying the students on behalf of the VC.

Kurukulasuriya said students had no faith in the Committee appointed to look into the matter as similar committees had been appointed on earlier occasions, but had not brought any solutions to the students’ problems. Kurukulasuriya threatened that if the university administration offered no solution to the problem, they would be forced to join hands with other universities and take collective action.