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By Reem Tombokti.
Tripoli, 16 June 2013:
The government has moved to improve security on the Tripoli university campus in the wake of . . .[restrict]a student strike that followed assaults on female undergraduates.
A joint security committee has been created which includes students, members of the university administration and its security guards, as well as representatives from the Interior Ministry and the Anti-Drugs General Directorate.
Moreover, it has been announced that the Interior Ministry has agreed with the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research that it will train the university guards. It was not clear today if the previously unarmed security personnel will now be given weapons and trained to use them.
Beside the assaults on female students, there have been gunfights on campus and instances of young men attending lectures with handguns on them. The guards had protested that they were powerless to disarm anyone entering the university grounds carrying arms. In recent weeks, a number of them had not reported for work.
Though last week’s strike was not total – some students objected to the action taking place during mid-term exams – students’ union leaders believe that they have demonstrated that they are an effective force.
“We hope that these procedures won’t be just talk” the head of students in the Engineering Faculty, Hafeth El-Qabroon, told the Libya Herald.
He added: “These steps might be the ideal solution to the security problems in our university.” [/restrict]
