Police today used tear gas to stop students from attempting to forcibly march towards Temple Trees, who demanded the government to shut down the private medical college in Malabe.
Students’ protest | File photo
The protesting students from the Inter University Students Federation, and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura tried to break down the barriers and march towards Temple Trees, but they were prevented by the riot police who also used tear gas to disperse the group.
The protest resulted in a massive traffic block along the Galle Road in Kollupitiya.
Samuel Jayaweera / June 23, 2016
What do they want this time ?
I heard their Mahapoloa is increased lately. Those forces behind them should Joint Meeharak Opposition (JMO)
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Simon De Silva / June 23, 2016
European students have no time to attend such marches of various kind.
They though have some areas they thoughts could not fully meet with… they are forced to do the job they are focused to…. But giving more freedom and making students as big mouths, politicians may be trying to pluck the fruits. Studnets, rethink of what you are upto…
In the end, nobody will save your bum but yourself. Your mothers and fathers sent you to those colleages for their hopes…and for your future. Think about it.
I left my belongings at Hilda Obesekara in 89 AND Left the place for our escape. Those were the days we faced it so brutally. JVPERs or whoever it did, the student unrest was there as no times before. I left the country then not being able to see it further. Uni students stayed away from colleages, since they were not opened for their lectures. That created a big gap in lanken uni history. But looking at all these today, I feel – had we the students beeen alert to our agendas nothing would have gone that far…. Europeans students focus only on their studies during the study period. Else, it is not easy to get throug the exams.
Now the locals woudl say, the conditions given to european students are much better than those of lankens. That is one way true, but these countries are on the other hand devleoped countries.
I think hostel faclities is a must execpt that university inside falicities. Lanken govt should focus on them first going to buy luxary vehicles to ministers or all folks. At least some good men should focus on this to iron out the situation. Luxuary must not be there in Colleges, but hostel facliteis should be obligatory.
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Paddy / June 24, 2016
Make these students aware that the FREE education they enjoyed was being funded by the tax payers… possibly the parents of the students attending the private medical college in Malabe.
Freebies are never appreciated.
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Jagath Fernando / June 23, 2016
Anything free has no value and we see the results today. Specially when you provide free tertiary education !!!
Last week student medicos were protesting against Malabe Medical College.
Our medics are such privileged species surviving on tax payer funds
1 free education for 13 years
2 free medical education for another 5 years
3 free quarters on passing out
4 duty free car permits
5 allowed to do private practice from 4 pm onwards
6 very few pay taxes since consulting fees are paid in cash by the hospitals
7 free overseas training to pass out as a specialist
8 choice of popular schools to admit children
These medics then protest against students who want to pay and learn and become doctors without being a burden on society and tax payers!!!
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Rarityminds / June 23, 2016
You know it is the jealousy and malicy… that was discussed once on the TV program. There those medics feel they are the merit ones to previledge as medicos becoming medical docs. As we know anyone with minimum qualificatons are entireled to apply for the uni admission. Meaning if selected by the UGC, you could go for your degree course. Why the most among the applicants are rejected is connected with lack of sufficient placements for Medical students. For other students is the same depeding on their subjects. However, even in Germany, you need to have top qualifciations to get selected for medicine and several other subjects. However there are also other options for whom that would prove their ablities properly, could get a place for medicine in during the first year. Like some universities in Newzealand is said to allow uni admissions also those with exclusviely olevel passes.
However for pvt medical students, the requirements are set like they should prove their ablities and willingness to pay the course by their own.. Latter is also accepted and recognized in developed world. Meaning not that every one cant afford that, but first that student coudl be able to prove his ablity to succeed the courses.
It is a lie that Modayas become doctors through pvt colleges… that is impossible in compettive coruse of exams. If student are not capable of getting through the required exams, they cant go through the barriers. Basta.
Besides, they should learn to work as a doctor which is not easy if you lack the expected knowledge in the required areas even if you get through the exams. All is said and done by idiots to paint the picture fooling the nation , as it is he number one agenda of the local joruanlists patronage by some born culprits. That can only be held in srilanka or the like countries but no chance in Europe.
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gayani / June 24, 2016
go head and do medicine. don’t be jealous of doctors
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eldorado / June 23, 2016
They tried to “FORCIBLY” MARCH, towards Temple Trees ? THEN THEY MUST BE “FORCIBLY” STOPPED. Bloody good ! There is far too much of this FORCIBLE STUFF over the last one and a half years. We never had it during the previous ten years. WHY ?
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Humpty / June 23, 2016
Are these arrogant hypocritic scum the future of this country? Maybe we should close down all international schools as well. Are they been paid by the JO to bring down this Government?
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Humpty / June 23, 2016
Because they would have been shot. It’s the people who were in charge for the past ten years that are instigating this together with the other major political force in this country, the GMOA.
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sama / June 24, 2016
go GMOA go
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jamXboree / June 23, 2016
What a bunch of selfish morons. Causing hardship and heartache for thousands of commuters who were left stranded awaiting public transport. Old men, women, people with families to get back to. Not to mention the massive cost of traffic and pollution.
Vile worms with no care for the general populace. Do we pay through our noses for you to protest?
Those private medical colleges wouldn’t churn out the house manure that you’ve filed your head with. Disgusting vermin.
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Pandaranayagam / June 23, 2016
Is Sri Lanka, slowly but surely, collapsing from its seams. While there are thinking, decent, liberal, educated Sinhalese those lead by politicised monks and the Sinhala extreme went about thinking if they can deny the future to doctors, engineers, lawyers, industrialists and other professionals on the Tamil side (add Muslim, Burghers etc. to that since of late) the Sinhala Buddhists can enjoy the entire national cake.
Fate (Karma) and the law of nature apparently do not work that way. The country that was destroyed by Sinhala Buddhist majoritarianism in 1956 can no longer feed or provide average services to its people. Can the Mahanayakas, from the comfort of their abodes while the country is burning – with free luxury vehicles and all – have any clues to “save the Sinhala nation and Buddhism” that they boast saved the country for “2,500 years” Please – I am not denigrating the religion that we copied from India which remains safe and healthy. I am talking of our toxic un-buddhistic variety.
Pandaranayagam
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Nimal / June 23, 2016
GMOA is a scourge on this little island. They have used poor tax payers’ money for over 12 years of their education and now want to bar everyone else from outside from entering the trade. GMOA folks are scared to death that they will have to compete with the medics graduating from private medical colleges. In fact, they are jealous too.
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Truth / June 24, 2016
SAITM has a better quality student who values education as they pay for that. Those in the state UNI are jealous as they say they have the KADUWA namely English which they do not have.The answer is to learn the language and not go behind the GMOA a satellite organisation of the JO which has orphans piloted by the deposed MAHARAJANO and waste time on the roads .
Yahapalanaya which is by no means anywhere near what people expected is still better than THE RULE OF A CORRUPT DICTATOR AND HIS FAMILY AND HANGERS ON.
Freedom of expression is not to be misused in the way it is done and this will only damage the image of the country
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Jay Pathbey / June 24, 2016
Sri Lanka is a beggar country. We have no money. During Rajapaksayears we over borrowed and what we earn as a country would not even pay the interest for the loans Sri Lanka has taken from China, Japan, Europe and even India.
Yet these Moda so called University students who should concentrate in studying have decided they should make decisions for the country. They should be whipped butt naked. expelled from the universities, close all the universities fora year and re-open them as fee paying ones. See no money no nothing. Sri Lankans do not appreciate and value what is given free. Therefore they should be made to pay for it.
Thus there will be enough money to help the more deserving Sri Lankans who really care. Not these wild foul mouthed Pandamayas of the politicians.
Tear gas and then use rubber bullets.
Jay – USA
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dayal / June 24, 2016
SL govt has to declare its policy vis a vis higher education specifically private higher education. there have been vague statements to satisfy all parties but there has to be a clear cut policy. either you disallow private higher education (which is now not possible because already there are 50 private HE institutions.in 2010, 2574 graduates passed from private institutions. every year the number is increasing.)or allow pri. higher education with a mechanism for regulating. as for medicine there should not be any room for complain about standards. it is left to the quality control mechanism organized by the state. it is too late to put a halt to private HE.it is also an international trend. our SL govt. is not in a position expand HE in the near future. private HE is one way of tackling the present situation. i do not know to what extent the medical students are in a position to decide about medical HE. they only have a selfish criteria which is totally irrational to decide major education policies.
-dayal
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KA Sumanasekera / June 24, 2016
Glad to hear our Dalits have finally realized how their fundamental rights are being gradually taken away by Batalanada and Bodhi Sira’s Yahapalanaya.
Btalanada Ranil told an Elite gathering in Colombo that his plan is to restructure the Education System and make it like the American system..
Elite , Anglicans , Vellaas and even the new Rich Wahabis were gleaming with glee.
Cheapest Uni in the US charges USD 30 000 a year for a basic Degree.
Up Market Unis there charge USD 100,000 plus per year for just Tuition.
A Law grad when comes out looking for job already has a USD 500,000 loan to pay.
Rajitha Senarathnas will be the beneficiaries of Batalanadas new American System where money matters more than merit..
Poor Dalits will have to do assembly jobs , if Batalanada gets that VW factory.
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Viraj De Alwis / June 24, 2016
This bull shit must stop now. Govt should expel all those students who participate in demos, arrest the leaders & shut down all unions which are a scourge to society. Discipline is the need of the hour and it should start in our schools & unis.
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Mudson Silva. / June 24, 2016
Now we see daily protests obstructing normal life of citizens. Who is behind all these??? Can anybody Guess??
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Samuel Jayaweera / June 24, 2016
Mr Medamulana and their shamless buggers. Who else ?
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Raj / June 24, 2016
There seems to be some sort of inferiority (or is it a superiority?) complex among SL University students, particularly, medical students, who,in this case are obviously spurred on by the GMOA. The sadistic ragging that goes on in SL universities is a testimony to their selfish & bullying mentality & it is these people who will be holding responsible positions after graduation in later life. No wonder the morality & the caliber of professionalism in SL is so poor, whether it is the medical, judicial / law & order or administrative/educational services, there is no pride in their professional responsibility, instead, stooping to the lowest level for the sake of earning big money. This is the darker side of free education & with this sort of mentality, the absurdity of demanding a ban on all fee paying education is even a possibility (it doesn’t happen because once they are earning big bucks, their children will be attending international schools).
When the protest for the Ragama Private medical college to be banned was orchestrated by the GMOA some years ago, a very vocal member at the time, 15 years later, had to send his own daughter to a medical school in Bangladesh when she could not enter medical college in SL. I am sure there are many such people & all that FOREX would have been saved if there were private medical colleges in SL. In UK, there are national hospitals which support private medical colleges & as long as the standard regulations are followed, the British Medical Association (UK equivalent to the GMOA) has no objection. At the end of the day, if everybody followed the same syllabus & sat for the same exam, standards can be maintained & best get awarded accordingly, irrespective if the funding was by the state or private. Incidentally, University education is no longer funded by the state in Europe but the disadvantaged, after a ‘means’ test will be eligible for a grant while others can apply for a loan which will be paid back by installments only upon full time employment.
Children born into privileged families will always have a privileged education & though it may seem unfair, it’s a fact of life & others should not bear any grudge but show their integrity by doing better. The GMOA has always been self serving, & now even corrupt, & this is the next generation who will continue with that tradition.
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