Campus students who taste tear gas and water cannons ... sit at president's office and engage in conversation

Campus students who taste tear gas and water cannons ... sit at president's office and engage in conversation

After university students launched a protest last afternoon in front of presidential secretariat yesterday (9) making 6 demands after which they were summoned to office and a discussion was held, it was reported. 

They had marched up to presidential secretariat and were making their demands by protesting in front of the presidential secretariat. After this fell on the ears of the president he issued instructions to all
security personnel to  provide them an opportunity to arrive in front of president's secretariat without any hindrance. 

As the president and president's secretary were occupied in an official duty previously arranged, responsibility of arriving at a settlement after discussion was handed over to officers of the education ministry and president's additional secretary. Officers who immediately at that moment itself informed the president's secretary ... issued relevant instructions in that respect. 

Arrears payable for Mahapola and student aid for the months of November and December was decided to be paid next Monday. Further, attention was focused on students who have not completed 80% of attendance to lectures, granting student aid and Mahapola scholarships at the same level, issues regarding the university of Sabaragamuwa, increase of scholarship recipients' parental income up to Rs. 7 lakhs and increased wages of working people. 

The officers agreed to provide matters taken in for discussion in written form. It was proposed to discuss prevailing problems once every fortnight according to wishes of the students, once a month. Student representatives stated that they would arrive at a decision after discussions with student associations. 

After this confrontation, the students who gathered opposite presidential secretariat dispersed peacefully. President's additional secretary Rohana Abeyratna, secretary of ministry of higher education, Anura Dissanayaka, chairman of university grants commission, professor Sampath Amaratunga and a group of representatives participated in the discussion.