Challenges of students’ organizations of south eastern university of Sri Lanka in covid-19 period: a study based on arts field students

Abstract

Challenges of the past five years of services of the student organizations of the field of Arts, South Eastern University of Sri Lanka have included a number of effective projects and services but during the Covid-19 period there have been various changes in the efficient functioning of these systems. Various efforts are being made to better carry out their activities even during this extraordinary period. In this context, the study aims to identify the problems faced by student organizations in the field of Arts at South eastern University during the Covid-19 period and to identify alternatives they have adopted to advance their projects. Further qualitative data in this study were obtained from the primary data interview. The study is based on officially registered organizations focusing on students in the Faculty of Arts and Culture, Faculty of Islamic Studies and the Arabic Language. The study was conducted with the participation of 12 persons who were in 4 key posts in the student organizations Muslim Majlis, Student Research Forum for Social Researches, Union, Indu ma manrem and Tamil Sangam. Data were then collected through interviews with the president, Ssecretary, treasurer and editor. This interview was based on the Covid-19 extraordinary circumstance in which phone calls and queries were made on Watchtower and data were collected as short notes and voice recordings. After voice recordings were converted into texts. These voice recordings were analyzed using a coding method. Secondary data were obtained from literary reviews of research articles, conventions, books, journals, and the Web sites. The study finds that the activities of these organizations in Covid - 19 face a number of technical, economic, administrative, social and psychological challenges and that they have continued to operate in the midst of such challenges. The study also focuses on how such organizations, such as Covid-19, can provide some advice on how to best carry out their activities during the extraordinary period of time and assist management in managing such systems in the future.