Three Central Ministers on Tuesday rushed to take stock of the situation at Jaffna University, where two groups of students clashed last week.
Cabinet Ministers Anura Priyadarshana Yapa of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party) and D.M. Swaminathan of the United National Party, and Deputy Minister of Mass Media Karunarathna Paranawithana interacted with students from Sinhalese and Tamil communities, academics, officials of the University, social and religious leaders, and leaders of the Tamil National Alliance.
Mr. Paranawithana later told The Hindu that the basic purpose of the visit was to ensure that the University recommenced academic activity at the earliest. “All had expressed their keenness for the early resumption of the activity,” With the University planning to start its classes again in a phased manner this week, there would be a complete return to normality “by early next week,” the Deputy Minister said.
Asked whether outsiders were behind the clash, Mr. Paranawithana said he could not comment as an enquiry was on.
A member of the University’s science faculty said the incident could have been avoided if those in charge of the reception for freshershad ensured better coordination between students of the two communities.
Strongly pitching in for retaining the multi-ethnic, multi-cultural character of the University, the teacher said the episode also underscored the need for early resolution of the Tamil question.
On Monday, President Maithripala Sirisena said at a function in Killinochchi that all educational institutions should transform themselves into reconciliation centres. He also suggested that the subject of reconciliation be included in school curriculum.
