DECEMBER 2015 SPECIAL EDITION
எŋகll வா'(m எŋகll வளµm மŋகாத த.ெழ12 சŋேக µழŋ5 !
வll6வr ஆ9: 2046
SPECIAL EDITION FREEDOM OF SPEECH, P1 A APPEAL FOR A NEW EDUCATION, P4
The gain that comes by fraud, although it seems to grow, With limitless increase, to ruin swift shall go. - Kural 283
A VIEW
கள@னாl ஆCய ஆkகm அள@றnI ஆவI ேபாலk ெக:m. - 5றll 283
Freedom of speech
Author: Jonas Pulendrarasa On 27 November, an initiative from students raised our attention. On walls at the first floor of the main campus building, charts were fixed. These charts questioned us about our understanding and thoughts about the university. We can assume that in a university, a satisfied student will speak positively of his/her university, we have been shocked to see that there
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« The authority has lost its legitimacy and risk its position by keeping its behavior. »
!1
DECEMBER 2015 SPECIAL EDITION
எŋகll வா'(m எŋகll வளµm மŋகாத த.ெழ12 சŋேக µழŋ5 !
வll6வr ஆ9: 2046
was nothing positive towards university written by students. We can expect that under fear of punishment, the students will moderate, avoid to write negative things. Actually, it is the opposite, students expressed what was deep inside their mind, their frustration of an education that doesn’t fit their time and challenges.
Some pictures of student’s comments
We could have thought that only students who had issues with the administration did express their opinion. After careful examination of who participated to the appeal, we found out that it was a much bigger population from diverse backgrounds. Many students were wondering how to safeguard their identity as they were afraid to be seen writing or identified by some people who will denounce them. However, they wrote their thoughts on these charts. What we learn through this, it is that despite huge pressures on them many are aware of their situation, the situation that others are facing and ready to contribute their voice to the some change. Teaching and non-teaching personnels walked by and had the opportunity to read. I think it was a revealing experiment for them on how they are perceived by students. We should first acknowledge that their expression are part of the social contract between the authorities and the students. That any struggle or resistance is part of the deconstruction and construction of that social contract that tie both actors. Any authority working and advancing for its own welfare and interests regardless of the people they are supposed to serve is an authority which risk to be destitute by the people. If we go to the basic of the modern political society, the constitution is the social contract which explicit the duties and obligation of the rulers and the citizen. It is only through this social contract that the ruler has a legitimacy to rule over the people. Hence, the people give up certain rights and transfers them to the ruler for the common interest. However, something remained very unclear and difficult to handle, are the people born after the contract came into force are bound by it and do they have the right to change it ? This discussion brought many amendments in constitution with the right for new generations to change the constitution, the right to people to rebel, right to dissent and disobey, etc Another concern was how to balance or check the power of each rulers in order to not have a system that would use the power arbitrarily, expand and remain into power. The solution was a system where people have the ultimate voice through
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!2
DECEMBER 2015 SPECIAL EDITION
எŋகll வா'(m எŋகll வளµm மŋகாத த.ெழ12 சŋேக µழŋ5 !
வll6வr ஆ9: 2046
regular election to choose their rulers, a check and balance system where no one has ultimate power, transparency and accountability. In our context, let’s take the student world as a world on its own. The students are entering into a contract through a fee that is being paid to the university and with the faculty members from the educational program. Thus, students enter into a contract with the university and its authorities for the purpose of an education during a certain period of time. The relation between the authority and the students are two ways, without students entering into contract with the university there is no authority and there is no students if the authority doesn’t provide the facilities for the students to exist. Hence, the bilateral relation between both of them is the base to understand the actual problem that students are facing. The student are creating the authority by paying the fees and they expect from the authority to provide the facilities for which they have signed. However, the authorities have no fulfilled their part of the contract, thus pushing students to question the legitimacy of being a part of this contract. The other problem is that the relation is one way which goes from the authority towards the students. Without providing facilities for the « A new contract students to express their voice in a should be written bilateral way the contract would have to between the questioned by the students. students and the authority based on a consensus on the purpose and conditions of the contract»
In order, to illustrate the importance and the existence of a social contract between the university and the students, when the university decided to suspend the M.Phil program in the department of politics and public administration to punish the students for protesting the arbitrary decision taken by the administration, students were asked to collect their paid fees. The beginning of the contract is not the admission as the students were already admitted but the fees begins it. Additionally, suspended students were asked to collect the fees despite being still suspended, which means that by accepting to collect the fees we accept to end the contract between both actors. The fact that the students are threatened and harassed to not voice their concerns directly with the institution with which they entered into contract but with department head of department express the willingness from the authority to dissolve its perceived role in the contract and reenforcing the role of departments in monitoring the students and contain
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!3
DECEMBER 2015 SPECIAL EDITION
எŋகll வா'(m எŋகll வளµm மŋகாத த.ெழ12 சŋேக µழŋ5 !
வll6வr ஆ9: 2046
issues. The authority has lost its legitimacy and risk its position by keeping its behavior. Yet a new contract should be written between the students and the authority based on a consensus on the purpose and conditions of the contract. However, this new contract cannot emerge without a discussion between the students and the authority. Hence, the acknowledgment of the student union and its role is the first step into forging the new contract in order to permit a bilateral relation between both actors of this social contract.
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!4