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Massive KNDU protest tomorrow 

03 Aug 2021

BY Dinitha Rathnayake The People’s Movement Against the Militarisation of Education is planning to conduct a massive public protest campaign tomorrow (5) with regard to the proposed controversial General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University (KNDU) Bill. The Movement is a broad alliance of civil society organisations, religious organisations, trade unions, professional organisations, civil society activists, and artists convened by the Federation of University Teachers Associations (FUTA).  This protest campaign is being staged ahead of the Parliamentary vote on the KNDU Bill which will take place on 6 August. The Movement said it is united on the view that military and civilian education must be kept separate. “Any attempt by the Government to push through this Bill, disregarding public sentiment, will end in disastrous consequences.” Meanwhile, the Association of Medical Specialists (AMS) also requested the Government not to repeat the same mistakes as its predecessors who set up the North Colombo Medical College (NCMC) and the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM). Therefore, the AMS requested the Government to defer the enactment of this Bill till they get the opportunity for adequate consultations with all the relevant stakeholders, highlighting that it is the responsibility of all to establish and protect quality university education in the country. The Organisation of Professional Associations of Sri Lanka, the apex body representing 32 diverse professions, has expressed its concerns about the proposed Kotelawala National Defence University Act (KNDU Act). It has requested President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to delay passing the Bill for further deliberation in Parliament, and until adequate consultation with all relevant professional groups and stakeholders.  Protests continued across the country against the KNDU Bill where the Police intervened to disperse protests organised by several organisations. During the Inter University Students Federation protest staged near the Parliament in opposition to the KNDU Bill, 33 civil and political activists were arrested by the Mirihana and Thalangama Police. Meanwhile, the Inter Company Employees Union President Wasantha Samarasinghe said that the Bill would be defeated on the streets, even if it is passed in the Parliament. ”The KNDU Bill which will mark the death of free education in Sri Lanka has been presented to the Parliament,” Samarasinghe noted.  


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