The Moratuwa
University Officials have decided to re-open the Engineering Faculty on
February 26 while keeping the Institute of Technology closed for a few more
days.
Vice
Chancellor Prof. Ananda Jayawardena said that the engineering faculty
would be reopened on February 26 for academic activities.
The
University’s engineering faculty and the Institute of Technology were closed
and the premises declared out of bounds for students until further notice on
Jan. 17 following the previous night’s violent attack on the male hostel of the
engineering undergraduates.
Prof.
Jayawardena said that the situation was still not good enough to re-start
academic sessions for both sections and that was the reason for opening the
engineering faculty first.
He said that
the Institute of Technology would also be reopened soon as examinations for the
National Diploma in Technology should begin on April 01 and the final year NDT
students had to do their practical sessions.
Higher
Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake said that a group of NDT students, led by
their students’ union, met him at the ministry last week and assured that they
would not engage in activities which would lead to clashes with engineering
undergraduates.
He said that
they planned to relocate the Institute of Technology to Homagama and it was a
long term solution to bring an end to clashes between the NDT students and the
engineering undergraduates.
"At the
final phase of the project, we will set up a university to enable NDT students
to obtain a degree," Dissanayake said.
Some relief to Engineering undergraduates.
ReplyDeleteTroublemakers who disrupt universities are only a handful and they must be identified, denied access and dealt with according to the law while others are allowed to pursue their studies. Haphazard closure of the universities amount to collective punishment and the worst affected are the peace loving undergraduates who are in the majority. The best antidote to violence and other forms of disruptions to university education, is to keep universities open with police protection, conduct lectures and hold examinations on schedule.