Higher education institutes to be supervised

by Ananda KANNANGARA

Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake on Friday pledged that countrywide higher education institutions will be strictly monitored and supervised to control and eliminate the operation of `education shops’ by various entrepreneurs.

He said the Government’s only objective is to expand education opportunities to all students including a large section of students who fail to qualify for university entrance.

Minister Dissanayake was speaking at the opening of the Imperial Institute of Higher Education (IIHE) at Tower Building, Bambalapitiya. IIHE has been offering BSc (Hons) in Business Management, Software Engineering and MBAs from the University of Wales since 1966. The IIHE also provides students with higher education through reputed international universities.

He said the Budget 2012, which will be presented this month, describes the current status of our university system and will propose a three-year development initiative for all State universities in the country.

“Additional funds have also been allocated to transform the universities of Peradeniya, Moratuwa, Colombo, Sri Jayawardanapura, Kelaniya and Ruhuna to a level of world class universities in their chosen field”.

Minister Dissanayake further said that in addition to a small percentage of students who study in universities, a large number of other students are registered every year for external degree programs.