Can we stop university ragging?

Following the tragic demise of a Sabaragamuwa University undergraduate, more than fifty articles have appeared in the media expressing views on various aspects of the barbaric tradition of ragging in Sri Lankan universities. However, this discussion is taken into an unprecedented height by the landmark decision by the Supreme Court (SC/FR/216/2020 on 2025-Jul-09) pertaining to a grievous act of ragging that took place in 2020, twenty-two years after ragging was made illegal by the Prohibition of Ragging and Other Forms of Violence in Educational Institutions Act No. 20 of 1998.

- BY GEEWANANDA GUNAWARDANA, PH.D.

One needs not be a constitutional scholar to understand the responsibilities of the three branches of the government; the Supreme Court has fulfilled the responsibility of the judiciary. Now, the other two branches will have to step up. Anyone reading the 48-page judgement or the recent opinion pieces referred to earlier, will clearly see that the core issue is the failure to implement the 1998 law. Those responsible for the failure, as listed in the judgement, include everyone in the University Grants Commission’s payroll, the Head of Police, and the Attorney General. Anything new here?

No, there is no mystery about not being able to stop ragging, it is another clear and loud statement about our broken system: complete disregard for law and order for decades. Generations of elected officials, bureaucrats, and most public using their services broke the law with impunity, while others abated it or put up with it for survival, leading to the current socioeconomic bankruptcy of the country. Let us have no doubt, what is happening in universities and other institutions is not any different from what happened in the country since independence: callous disregard for law and order with complete impunity. This national habit of normalisation of criminal behaviour must be stopped, universities are no exception.

The supreme Court has read the riot act, but that is of limited utility. This is where the legislative and executive branches need to act. If we are to eradicate this menace, there must be a zero-tolerance policy, and the penalties must be swift, substantial, and well publicised to be a deterrent. A slap of the wrist as often happens, or negotiated settlements between the student union and academics sympathetic or connected to the student union are not any worse than ignoring the wrongdoing. The current law must be amended to include a mandatory, minimum one-year suspension for any violation. That is in addition to any criminal and civil penalties.