VIDEO: 17 university students arrested during UGC protest
May 17, 2014
A total of 17 university students have been arrested today during a protest in front of the University Grants Commission (UGC) in Colombo.
Police said that 13 students who had obstructed the arrest of an Allied Health student, for protesting in violation of a court order, were taken into custody while another 4 were held during the protest.
A group of Allied Health students as well as their parents launched the protest opposite the UGC this morning, over decision to reduce the duration of the allied health sciences degree.
Academics condemn student activists arrest
- Saturday, 17 May 2014
University academics today condemned the abrupt arrest of the sixteen student activists yesterday evening, adding such actions will only further provoke students than solve their issue.
Federation of the University Teachers Association (FUTA) President, Dr. Chandraguptha Thenuwara speaking to Daily Mirror said intimidating students is not the response to the authorities’ failure to address student grievances.
“Students’ demands and concerns regarding the issue on Allied Health Sciences course quality and the reduction of the course duration are fair. They have been reaching out to the authorities for over a period of three months but have received no response,” he said.
Dr. Thenuwara went on to say that other concerns raised in universities countrywide by student groups demanding a raise of the Mahapola scholarship, accommodation issues as well as matters regarding the quality of their academic courses too are justified.
“We urge the authorities to release the arrested students immediately and reconsider their approach to resolving student grievances. We request the responsible authorities to put a stop to the harassment and arbitrary arrests of the undergraduates and instead, resort to negotiations and discussions with the students,” he added.
