Campus Teachers Union expresses support to Students' strike

[TamilNet, Friday, 25 June 2004, 10:29 GMT]
Lectures and other administrative activities at the Jaffna University's Vavuniya campus were brought to a standstil as the members of the campus Teachers Union joined the students Friday as a show of support to the students strike which is entering its fourth day, sources from Vavuniya said.

The students are demanding that the University authorities must take immediate action to improve the basic facilites of the University. The students pointed out in a memorandum that the campus which was opened in 1977 has been functioning in temporary buildings and lack even basic facilities including sufficiently equipped lecture halls, lack of clean drinking water, badly maintained rest-rooms for teachers and toilet facilities.

Teachers joining the strike said, the lack of teachers facilities too is an impediment to the academic progress at the campus and they too demand authorities to intervene and embark on a program of upgrading the campus facilities.

In a memorandum released by the campus students, they said the authorities should provide accounts for how the money allocated for the maintenance of the campus was spent.

Vice Chancellor of the Jaffna Campus, Prof.S.Mohanadas, is scheduled to meet the students Friday, sources said.

Earlier talks by three representatives of the Vice Chancellor with the campus student ended in failure. The student body said that the proposals put forward by the representatives of the Vice Chancellor were inadequate and demanded a direct meeting with the Vice Chancellor.