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JVP leader claims university ragging allegations outrageous
By Saman Indrajith
Some politicians hate university students because they played a major role in sending Gotabaya Rajapaksa home, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) leader Anura Kumara Dissanayaka has said.During the past few months, university students had won praise and admiration of the public, he said in Colomb yesterday.
“The students played a key role in ending the disastrous reign of Gotabaya. So, they hate students,” he said.
Most politicians who blamed university students for ragging were driven by hate and their past actions had shown that they did not care about the youth of the country, Dissanayaka said.The JVP leader said some people claimed that physical and mental harassment was used by some political parties for recruitment.
“Does anyone think that you can harass and torture someone, and convince him or her to join a political party? These are myths perpetuated by some people with ulterior motives,” he said.The JVP is a political party that supports the human rights of all Sri Lankans. Leftist movements across the world have fought for the betterment of the people. On the other hand, those in the right have been among the most severe violators of human rights, Dissanayaka said.
“Look at these people who are making these baseless accusations? They have a history of working with thugs. They are involved in various anti-social activities. Some of them have actually killed young people. They have played a role in destroying the economy of Sri Lanka. They have ruined the future of youth and children and you expect me to believe that they care about the rights of young people?” the JVP leader asked.The JVP as a political party and students aligned to it are opposed to physical or mental harassment, he said.Responding to a question posed by a journalist whether the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) is involved in ragging, Dissanayaka said that neither the FSP nor its students union is involved in ragging.
“No organised leftwing political party nor its students’ union is involved in ragging. They are against it. However, there are incidents of ragging, and we condemn them. Student union leaders have fought against this. We would like to remind students involved in ragging that their actions are providing ammunition to reactionary politicians,” he said.The JVP leader added that political parties had a right to engage in politics in universities and students had a right to engage in politics.
“Our political elites do not like university students engaging in politics. Most university students do not come from elitist backgrounds. Our political elites don’t like talented young politicians coming up from ordinary families. If they can stop young political leaders from universities form coming up, it allows them and their children to dominate politics. The JVP leader added that there were university administrators who were lackeys of politicians, and they were bent on harassing dissenting students. They had done nothing to develop universities and uplift student life or university rankings, he said.
“The Inter University Students Federation (IUSF) and university students in general played a leading role in ending Gota’s rule. And Rajapaksa affiliates hate them for this. That’s why they have arrested the IUSF convener under PTA. This young man fought for the rights of all Sri Lankans. He fought for our rights. Now, he has been in jail for 90 days under the PTA. His life is in danger. Recently, Suren Ragavan and Janaka Bandara Tennakoon’s son made ‘emotional statements’ about innocent youth affected by ragging. Shouldn’t Ragavan and Bandara care about Wasantha Mudalige, too?”
The Department of Education has announced that the results of the 2024 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level Examination have been released online, and can be viewed on : www.doenets.lk
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the training of teachers required for the new education reforms will commence in May, and that contracts granted to political cronies in local government institutions will be brought to an end following the upcoming local government elections.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing public gatherings held in the areas of Mirigama, Minuwangoda, and Katana in the Gampaha District.
Addressing the gatherings, Prime Minister stated:
“From birth to death, all the aspects of life of a person are handled by local government institutions. However, to this day, these institutions lack proper systems even to provide the people with basic facilities.
We are committed to working with a proper system, free of fraud and corruption, and managing every rupee carefully and attentively. We are identifying the needs of people and implementing projects under a systematic plan to develop rural sectors.
You elect fellow members who stand firmly against fraud and corruption through two decisive elections. First, you elect Anura Kumara as President, a leader committed to fighting corruption. Then, in the parliamentary election, you choose a group of qualified individuals who are equally dedicated to this cause to represent you in Parliament.
To ensure that the funds allocated for rural development reach the people, the local government institutions which are the closest to the villagers must also be clean and transparent. That is why this election is so important to us.
The people and the villages come to experience our corruption-free political culture through local government institutions. These institutions must properly implement, monitor, and evaluate the development projects allocated to the rural sector. The era of awarding contracts for such projects to political cronies must end.
Although early childhood development is a crucial part of education, there has never been a proper system for it. We are now establishing such a system. Starting in May, teacher training for the modern education which is being introduced will begin. We have a comprehensive plan for development across all sectors.
The Ministry of Education has received billions worth of projects, but there is no proper implementation process. For example, 1,500 smart boards were brought for smart classrooms, but the Secretary to the Ministry has not implemented a system to distribute them to schools. Teachers have not been trained to use them. Teacher training institutes still follow outdated curriculum. This will be corrected through the new education reforms,
In order to deliver all these benefits to the rural sector efficiently, it is essential to elect the right people for the right purposes. Therefore, in the upcoming local government elections, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya urged the public to vote for the candidates who are free from fraud and corruption presented by the National People’s Power (NPP).”
The event was attended by Parliament Chief Organizer of the ruling party Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Members of Parliament Ruwanthilaka Jayakody and Chaminda Lalith Kumara, along with several local government candidates and the residents of the area.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath will represent Sri Lanka at the funeral of Pope Francis in the Vatican City, the Ministry said.
The funeral is scheduled for today.
About 50,000 people came to pay their respects to the late Pope on Thursday, the Vatican news service said.
“Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, April 26, at 10:00 AM in St. Peter’s Square, marking the beginning of the Novemdiales, an ancient tradition of nine days of mourning and Masses for the repose of the late Pope’s soul,” according to the Vatican news service.
“The Novemdiales Masses will be held each day at 5:00 PM (GMT +2) in St. Peter’s Basilica, except for the Mass on Divine Mercy on Sunday, April 27, which will take place at 10:30 AM in St. Peter’s Square.”
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