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| Friday, 25 February 2005 |
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| UGC granted Aquinas degree awarding status after due procedure - Minister by Bharatha Malawaraarachchi and Ranil Wijayapala Urban Development and Water Supply Minister and Education Deputy Minister Dinesh Gunawardena told Parliament yesterday that the University Grants Commission awarded Aquinas College of Higher Studies the degree awarding status on December 22, 2004, under the procedure laid down under Part IXA of the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978 which is not a new procedure for the University Grants Commission. Responding to a question raised by Ven. Athuraliye Ratana Thera on the conversion of Aquinas College of Higher Studies, Colombo to a Private University, the Minister said the University Grants Commission has offered the Aquinas College with degree awarding status on an application made by the College on December 11, 2002 after following the procedures laid down by the Universities Act. "This is part and parcel of five requests for degree awarding status that the University Grants Commission received in 2002 and 2003 by Royal Institute, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sri Lanka, Nurses Training School, Aquinas College of Higher Studies and the National Institute of Social Development", the Minister added. "Accordingly the due procedure was followed and the University Grants Commission elaborately investigated the suitability of Aquinas College of Higher Studies and the National Institute of Social Development for degree awarding purposes", he added. "The project proposal, curriculum and staff profile were studied together with a visitation by the University Grants Commission and inspection report evaluation also by the University Grants Commission", he added. This evaluation was not done for the Royal Institute, Institute of Chartered Accountants, Sri Lanka and the Nurses Training School. Aquinas College of Higher Studies was given degree awarding status for four programs namely General Arts Degree (BA), BA Religious Studies, Degree in Information Technology and Degree in Psychology and Counselling out of the six requests they made. The degree awarding status for Bachelor of Social Work was granted to National Institute of Social Development, 191, Dharmapala Mawatha, Colombo 7. Both these degree programs were approved at the 676th meeting of the University Grants Commission held on December 9, 2004, the Minister added. The Minister said Institutes were recognised under Section 25 A of the Universities Act from as long ago as 1988. Such degree awarding institutes will be funded separately and not by the University Grants Commission nor will these institutes come under the direction of the University Grants Commission. He said the Institute of Technological Studies in 1988, Institute of Surveying and Mapping in 1990, Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (Guarantee) Limited (SLIIT) in 2000, Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration in 2003 and National Institute of Fisheries and Nautical in 2003 have been granted degree awarding status. |
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