IUSF issues letter of complaint to PM Ranil Wickramasinghe

Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) issued a letter of complaints last Wednesday (21) to the Prime Minister Ranil WIckramasinghe, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, other parliamentary officials and education sector officials, regarding several issues to be attended to by the temporary government. Convener of the IUSF Najith Indika, stated several issues highlighting the commercialization of the free education system and several other national issues that had expanded exponentially during the Rajapaksa regime.

He requested the government’s rapid response to these issues alongside the 100 day program which was introduced by President Maithripala Sirisena. He also stated that the IUSF does not agree with most of the aspects in the Compassionate governance- Stable country initiative which was introduced during the last Presidential Election.

“The ‘a free education which will succeed in new challenges’ chapter, which is in regard of the education sector, should be more highlighted in the implementation of the program. In its initiation, 6% of the Gross Domestic Production (GDP) has been promised to be allocated for the education sector and that is a necessary reform. But the other reforms that were mentioned in the program cannot be agreed upon due to several facts,” said he.

Here are the aforementioned complaints issued by the IUSF;

1. Annulment of the Malabe Private University

2. Selling university degrees for money in government universities

3.Prevention of the collecting / charging of money from parents / students for any reasons. Provide the necessary allotments for the development of the school.

4. Exposure of the death of the student activists, Janaka Bandara and Sisitha Priyankara who died under mysterious circumstances in 2012.

5. Exposure of the civil murders involving the previous government, such as the murder of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and the murder of Roshen Chanaka, who was killed during the Weliweriya- Rathupaswala incident in 2013.

6. Exposure of the forced disappearances such as Lalith Kumar, Kugan Muruganandan, journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.

7. Exposure of the white van culture

8. Annulment of anti democratic reforms in the Code of criminal procedure

9. Release of Sendhil Sudarshan, who was abducted by an unknown group in 2014

10. Revelation of the ethnic clashes that occurred recently in Aluthgama, Beruwala and its perpetrators.

11. De-militarization of the North and the reinstatement of democracy in the area.

12. Special confinement ordering authority of the Defense Secretary

13. Cancellation of the proposed seed act and the water management act

14. Immediate steps to tackle the kidney epidemic in the North Eastern province

15. Repeal the acts to sell course programs and cut down of HNDA programs in Advanced Technological Institutes.

16. Increase the number of student who receives the Mahapola scholarship

17. Removal of the security personnel of the Rakna Lanka Security Firm that were appointed for University services 18. Provide solutions to long standing issues of University lecturers and extracurricular service personnel such as experiment grants and wage deficits.

by Kavindya Christopher Thomas

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