By Dasun Edirisinghe-February 4, 2014,
The government should stop ‘military training’ for prospective university students without destroying any more lives or face a countrywide protest would be launched by students, trade unions, civil organisations, political parties and other stakeholders, Inter University Students’ Federation said yesterday.
IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told The Island that the Higher Education Ministry was still silent on the death of a student at the Gannoruwa Army camp during the leadership programme last Saturday.
He said that the youth selected to the Jaffna University from Nochchiyagama had died after being admitted to the Peradeniya Teaching Hospital. "This is not the first time that a student has died during military training. A female student selected for the Sabaragamuwa University, died on August 02, 2011 during training at the Diyatalawa Military Academy. Not only students, the government is giving military training to school principals and the Seeduwa Pannasekera Vidyalaya principal died during a training at the Rantambe National Cadet Corp Training School on June 30, 2013."
When contacted for comment, Secretary of the Higher Education Ministry Dr. Sunil Jayantha Navaratne denied the allegations.
He said the results of the leadership training programme were already visible and more and more students wanted to take part in it.
Dr. Navaratne said he felt sorry for the students who had died due to their physical weaknesses. "We always ask students to inform us in advance whether they are suffering from any illnesses so that we could exempt them from physical training" he said, adding that the leadership training would not be stopped simply because a bankrupt student union wants the government to do so.
