University ragging – A crisis of social divisions and ignorance

By CHANDRASENA MALIYADDE

Among many national priorities being discussed, today, the subject of higher education and universities is prominent. Irregularities in university intake, lack of facilities, IT skills, English language proficiency and leadership, inadequacy of relevance, quality and applicability of research output and graduate output, employability or lack of it, and inhuman ragging are among matters that have received attention of policymakers and the public

Dissatisfaction

Parents, academics, non-academic and administrative staff, support staff, student community, graduates, society, state universities, the UGC, the government all are concerned and express dissatisfaction with the state of affairs in universities. Issues start before a student enters the university and continue even after his or her graduation. According to the Department of Census and Statistics, in 2017, out of 253,330 students who sat the GCE A/L Examination, 163,104 (64%) had qualified for university entrance, but only 24,000 (14%) seats were available in state universities.

During the current discourse on university education” ‘ragging and its inhuman nature’ are identified as the most disturbing factor. Sadly, I have come across many UGC circulars, innumerable articles and some reports pertaining to ragging, understood as part of the university subculture, which aims at helping newcomers adapt themselves to the new environment.

Ragging has become a fashion or, one can say, a routine in universities. Many causes are attributed to ragging. Victims of ragging face problems which are physical and psychological.

Memories

I have forgotten most of the faces and incidents that took place more than a half a century ago, in the most beautiful place hidden between the Hanthana mountain range and the Mahaweli river. One thing I would not forget is how I was ragged by my seniors, and how I ragged my juniors. Once, I was asked to empty a pond located in front of a girls’ hostel with a coconut shell. I still cherish memories of it. Ragging was not a widely discussed subject a few decades ago. Opinions are being expressed by many commentators, most of whom are university products of yesteryear. They, like me, bear and cherish the memories of their university days.

Wherever it started and whatever forms it takes, ragging is unacceptable. Considering the inhuman nature of it, it needs to be eradicated. The government, the UGC and universities have issued circulars, introduced measures and taken action to combat it. They are mostly, if not all, punitive actions against perpetrators who have been reported or caught in the act of ragging. However, ragging continues unabated, and so do the discussions and actions. Ragging is a complex issue.

Some have cited the lack of supervision and implementation of serious anti-ragging measures by university authorities, and the absence of adequate guidance.

Some sentiments expressed by panelists at a webinar on the ‘violence in Sri Lanka’s Higher Education Institutions’ held in 2020,were as follows:

“The Committee of the Vice Chancellors and Directors (CVCD) in a statement issued in July 2020, categorically condemns all forms of ragging in educational institutions of Sri Lanka and no Vice-Chancellor or Rector would condone and support ragging or protect perpetrators. However, the CVCD believes that ragging is a complex issue that needs many interventions for it to be eliminated from the Sri Lankan Universities ….”

Impunity

“Eradicating ragging requires a bottom-up approach that goes beyond punitive measures; ragging is a phenomenon that cannot be viewed in isolation from the country’s socio economic context; there is a degree of societal tolerance when it comes to various forms of violence, and ragging is one such example where there is impunity; violence in campuses is enabled by the lack of monitoring and accountability at different levels”.

These views suggest that we look at ragging only as a curse, but ignore the causes thereof.

Ragging is only the tip of the iceberg. Beneath it lies the social, cultural, economic erosion the country suffered during the last 40 years. Economic background of the present-day student community is completely different from ours. The country then prosperous with a vibrant economy developed by the Senanayakas and the Bandaranaikes. Today, we have a debt ridden, service-oriented, import-dependent, backward economy.

There has been a severe erosion of social, cultural and moral values inculcated by free education introduced by C. W. W. Kananagara, with a robust Central College network. Today, the focus of education is on examinations. Education has got commercialised as ever before with students dependent on private tuition provided by this ‘Sir’ and that ‘Sir.

Support their families

The majority of the university students come from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Their parents do not have a stable source of income. Students depend on Mahapola or other grants. There are some students who pay only the room rent from the grant they get, and use the balance to support their families.

Gamage, Siri, (2017), in his article on “Psychological, Sociological and Political Dimensions of Ragging in Sri Lankan Universities” says:

‘Those from lower socio-economic and rural backgrounds see those from well-to-do families and urban schools or with western outlooks in behaviour (dress, hair style, English language ability, social contacts, etc.) as class enemies who needed to be tamed and put in their place.’

In addition to ragging, there are other matters concerning students that need to be taken into consideration. Regrettably, we don’t consider and attach the same degree of importance and priority to them. Exams are not held in time, results are delayed; there is no adequate accommodation and other facilities required by students; student-teacher relationship is strained. These factors contribute to student violence and unrest. Their disappointment, frustration and envy find expression in brutal ragging. Seniors derive a perverse satisfaction by inflicting suffering on juniors.

Producing graduates is treated as the main function of universities. An extract taken from a performance report of a university on student satisfaction is given in the table. It shows the importance attached to student satisfaction.

Relationship

During our university days, all teachers were present on the campus from morning till dusk. We, the students, had access to them and consulted them on any matter. There was a close relationship between academics and students. We did not have to seek extra mentoring. We were known by names and even by our nicknames. Today, academics are more absent than present in universities. They are busy with private work. Some universities employ more temporary/visiting lecturers than the permanent staffers. Teachers are not available. It is only natural that students give vent to their frustration in a violent manner. Ragging is only one manifestation of this problem. There are frequent clashes among students.

Eradication

We write about present-day university students and prescribe punitive actions against the perpetrators of ragging in good faith. We want the scourge removed. But we are not sensitive to economic, social, cultural changes in the society at large. The present form of ragging is only the symptom of serious problem. The eradication of ragging is not possible unless its root causes are removed.

At present, universities provide mentoring and counseling facilities to the victims of ragging. But, it is the perpetrators who need counselling more than others. There is a need to take a holistic view of the problem rather than taking ragging in isolation.

Reference:

Ragging; Its Evolution and Effects: A Literature Review with a Special Reference to Sri Lanka – Gunatilaka H. Department of Business Administration, University of Sri Jayewardenepura – International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume III, Issue X, October 2019|ISSN 2454-6186

(The writer, Chandrasena Maliyadde was Secretary to three Ministries before retirement. He is currently a Vice President of Sri Lanka Economic Association. email: chandra.maliyadde@gmail.com)