The press release states, “The police using tear gas and water cannon has repressed the peaceful agitation organized by the Inter University Students Federation yesterday (29th) to demand the government to solve the issues of university academic staffs and non-academic staffs and reopen the universities immediately.
The JVP vehemently condemns with contempt the attack carried out on university students’ peaceful agitation by the Rajapaksa regime deploying its police force.
University students took to the streets demanding their right for education. The government has closed down the universities where they have their higher education. The government’s excuse for such closure is the strike carried out by university teachers. However, university teachers are engaged in a strike action as the government has ignored their demands. The strike of university teachers is not one that had sprung up abruptly. It is the result of several issues the government had promised to solve over a year ago but has not fulfilled yet. The strike has continued for nearly two months. However, the President and the bunch of more than a dozen ministers in charge of education in the government have not shown any regard for the issue. It may be that certain individuals in the government are suffering from the mental illness of waiting for intellectuals to come to them on their knees.
What the government should do now is solve issues and reopen universities instead of attacking with tear gas and water cannon and repress students who demand reopening of universities. Agitating for their right for education is a just right of students. On the other hand, who else would agitate to open the closed down universities if the students do not do so is an issue.
We demand the government to immediately solve the issues of university teachers and the non-academic staffs and reopen universities. We also call upon all progressive masses to come forward against the arbitrary and repressive regime.”
LT
