Crisis ending at Jaffna Uduvil Girls’ College?

• Retiring principal formally hands over duties to successor on public holiday 
• Bishop assures safety of students in meeting with parents; promises to investigate assault charges during protest

By Dharisha Bastians 

After a week of protests and turmoil, the crisis at the Uduvil Girls’ College appeared to be drawing to a close, with retiring principal Shiranee Mills formally handing over duties to her successor last evening. 

The breakthrough was a result of waning support for the protests over the appointment of a new principal and what past pupils and demonstrating students called the forcible retirement of Principal Mills, after the problems at the elite Jaffna girls’ school took a major political turn at the end of last week. 

Bishop Daniel Thiagarajah who heads the Jaffna Diocese of the Church of South India which manages Uduvil Girls’ College held a three-hour meeting with parents of students attending the school, at which he assured the safety of the protesting students and promised to set up a committee to look into complaints that the schoolgirl demonstrators had been assaulted the previous week. He requested the parents at the meeting to ensure their children attended classes and continue with their school activities as usual, in order to restore normalcy. 

Subsequent to the meeting at around 4.30p.m., Principal Mills sat with members of the school board and the new Principal Patricia Suneetha Jebaratnam and signed over responsibilities of the office. Yesterday being a public holiday, the school was closed and there were no students in the premises, sources told Daily FT. 

Principal Mills remains in the principal’s bungalow inside the premises, which she has promised to vacate in due course. 

The unrest began when a group of students and past pupils protested against the school management on the basis that Mills was being retired prematurely when traditionally UGC principals have been well over the age of 65 at the time of retirement. The students alleged that the selection committee to choose the new UGC principal was heavily biased against Mills. The past pupils association said the Church was administering the prestigious school in a ‘totalitarian’ fashion. 

Mills is credited with having transformed the Uduvil Girls’ College since taking office as principal, and uplifting the school’s educational standards. 

As a result of the unrest, school attendance has been low since the new term began on 8 September. 

In an interview with Daily FT last week, Bishop Thiagarajah insisted that the issue was being fuelled by third parties. The issue at the school became increasingly political, with a plethora of Northern political actors, including EPDP Leader Douglas Devananda, TNA Provincial Councillors Ananthi Sasitharan and Shivajilingam and EPRLF Leader Suresh Premachandran heavily backing Principal Mills and the protesting students. Students and past pupils alleged ‘political interference’ and abuse of power by TNA Jaffna District MP M.A. Sumanthiran who acted as counsel for the Bishop in a case against Mills and others several years ago. 

The crisis at Uduvil Girls’ College was believed to be rooted in a major church split that took place nearly a decade ago.