by Dasun Edirisinghe
Students who qualify for university education will have to undergo leadership training at a military establishment, Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Jayaratne said.
The new scheme would come into effect from May 23 for the next academic year and it would be compulsory for all students, he said. The training programme would be conducted by the military under the supervision of university authorities.
"We introduced this programme in order to improve the leadership skills of undergraduates before they enter universities," he said. This would be followed by a three-month English language course before the commencement of academic activities.
The Inter University Students’ Federation said the programme was all part of the Rajapaksa regime’s strategy to militarise universities.
IUSF Convener Sanjeewa Bandara told
The Island that the government was in the process of bringing the country under a military rule. In spite of the conclusion of war, the country was experiencing an increase in the power of the military, he said, vowing to launch a protest campaign to pressure the government to drop its plan.
Bandara said that they would also involve their parents in the protest campaign against the government’s decision.
The Island
