A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Friday, March 31, 2017
Ragging In Sri Lankan Universities (Trincomalee Campus)
By Hasmin Haniffa –March 30, 2017
Tears are not new to me, it eases heart. But this time it has failed to
do so. My sister left her higher education in Trincomalee campus due to
severe ragging of so called protectors of free education “seniors”.
That was a pleasant morning, sister was so happy as she’s entering
Trincomalee campus for her higher studies dreaming of becoming an
English teacher. Everything was set. Bought a lot of items as she won’t
be able to visit home often as it’s about 300km away from home. It was a
Thursday and the journey has begun. I couldn’t join the family trip to
Trinco as I had final MBBS exams.
Parents returned home in the evening handing over my sister to the
responsible ones in the faculty so they would seriously look after her.
She stayed at the hostel.
On Sunday night sister called me and said “It’s worse here, it’s a lot of ragging,
very difficult to tolerate the way they behave and every one of us
haven’t slept more than 1 hour in a night since I arrived here. You will
recognize it seeing our eyes. Just now a batch mate took some pills to
kill herself and some of us are going to hospital secretly for emergency
medical care. Don’t tell this to anyone as we’re not supposed to tell
these things to families”. I could clearly hear my heart beating after
she said about the suicidal attempt, how much these children are
mentally stressed. She continued,”Brother, we’re taken to the canteen
early morning around 6.00am and all of us are packed inside. We’re not
allowed to buy food from canteen, we can’t carry water bottles, we can’t
even keep a handkerchief with us. And we’re not allowed to sit. When
the food arrives at the table we have to squeeze it so it becomes to
fluid state and comes through our finger gaps and later it’s thoroughly
inspected by seniors weather the act has taken place properly, and if
not under supervision it has been carried out. Then we have to eat it
and I couldn’t because I became nauseous still I had to eat it.
Yesterday we were kept at faculty canteen from early morning till the
evening 5’O clock and Ragging was carried out. All of us were kept
standing since morning to evening and then we were brought to hostel and
we’re not allowed to sleep in there. We’re given various activities and
essays to be written. We’re supposed to carry out some orders of
seniors like knocking the sub warden’s room intermittently all night.
And again in the early morning we have to go to canteen to get ragged.
Some pretty girls are separated at times and taken privately to an
adjacent place and a lot of boys were talking to them for hours and
hours”.
On Monday morning she called me and said, “I feel some difference, I
don’t think I would make it through here, come immediately to take me
home”. I was horrified and I kept my final MBBS exams aside and rushed
to Trincomalee early in the morning from Colombo. Just before I get down
from the bus, warden who’s the Department head of Sidhdha medicine
called me and said “can’t wait, come quickly by a three-wheeler”, and I
became anxious hearing that. I arrived at the hostel premises soon as
possible and I’ve witnessed that she has become restless and appeared
fearful and she said, “Brother, we have to leave this place
immediately”. I took her home, it’s around 1.00am when we arrived at
home. And the following day she has got admitted to Kurunegala teaching
hospital and I have informed the education minister Akila Viraj
Kariyawasam regarding this immediately.
My sister entered the faculty with lot of beautiful dreams in her heart.
She’s a brilliant kid. She got 3″A” results for her A/Ls. And now in
the name of free-education and some purposeless hidden agendas this free
bird’s wings were chopped off. As a family we’re in a lot of pain and
the most difficult situation of our lives. I had to witness a lot of
tears. I don’t like to explain it further as my heart wouldn’t tolerate
it.
I have found out that every year newly entered children leave the campus
due to ragging. I met a boy who left 3 years back due to ragging. Sub
warden said this year including my sister it’s 5 pupils. And some said
we won’t come back and the true number is higher than this.
How much very beautiful dreams, how much effort of parents and their
dreams of giving their child a better future become shattered. It’s not
just one, its five shattered dreams, five parents and families with full
of tears in their eyes with a lot of broken hearts.
When I’m talking to a retired Army personal who’s now a three wheel
driver there whom I’ve hired to reach the faculty said, “I’ve witnessed
some girls holding some other girls by their hair, and pulling to take
them somewhere”. Boys come to girls’ hostel building call for them and
take out the girls as they want and take them to the faculty. One person
came and called all the junior girls to come out, but they haven’t,
then another 5 came, the girls haven’t come out, and in minutes time
came about 25-30 and threatened them to come outside the hostel and
taken them to the gymnasium, as witnessed.
This ragging occurs in a systematic manner. Apart from physical Ragging a
huge mental pressure is given to newly entered children up to a level
they commit suicide and quit their education.
The so called “seniors” have shattered the windows of the examination hall in the faculty and set fire with tyres and black flags were put everywhere inside the premises demanding to continue ragging after some faculty inquiries.
The so called “seniors” have shattered the windows of the examination hall in the faculty and set fire with tyres and black flags were put everywhere inside the premises demanding to continue ragging after some faculty inquiries.