Dr. Prabath Ekanayake, Dean of the Arts Faculty of Peradeniya University, says that he is receiving death threats from a group of opportunistic students who have been hijacked by political parties with vested interests.
Ekanayake said this was because he was working to protect the educational rights of all students of the university. He said that the President of the Student Union threatened him saying: “We sent the seventh executive President home, you are not a big deal for us”.
He said the leader of the Student Union of the Allied Health Sciences Faculty had scolded the professors, deans as well as the vice-chancellor in harsh words and added it is a matter of regret that the university is in such a serious and tragic situation.
The teaching staff decided to suspend all academic activities at the Law Department of the Arts Faculty at the Peradeniya University until the Students’ Union gives a written assurance that they will stop assaults and abuse of a section of the students studying in the Law Department at the University of Peradeniya.
This was following an attack on a group of students who are against ragging. This had happened in a canteen at the Law Department at the university on September 14.
The teaching staff had taken steps to conduct the teaching activities of the department only through the online system.
After the relevant attack, the academics started the activities through the online system, giving time to the student union to give a written assurance that they will not attack the students who do not support ragging and they will also allow these students the opportunity to use the common areas of the Faculty.
Vice-Chancellor Prof. M. D. Lamawansa recently said that the online studies have also been stopped due to the students’ unions not submitting such a written assurance. The students’ union has been informed that in order to resume educational activities of the Arts Faculty, the relevant written assurance must be given.
