JTC students to call off boycott of lectures

[TamilNet, Monday, 14 September 2009, 07:35 GMT]
More than a thousand students of Jaffna Technical College (JTC) have been continuously boycotting lectures since 8 August in protest against JTC being used by the administration for political activities in support of the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) and misappropriation of the funds meant for the college. The protesting students, however, have decided to call off the boycott Monday on the intervention of a key UPFA minister promising that JTC will not be used for political activities in the future and the funds of the college will be properly handled, JTC student union representatives said.

During the recent Jaffna Municipal Council (JMC) JTC had been used as the office of the UPFA contestant and the students were forced to engage in canvassing support for the UPFA candidate, the student representatives said.

The students decided to call off the boycott when the said minister Sunday gave assurances that JTC will not be exploited for political activities and that the funds and resources of the college will used only for the benefit of the students and their education.

The JTC student union representatives, however, said that they will not hesitate to launch the boycott of lectures again if the minister’s assurances are not fulfilled.

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