Academic programs to begin next month:

SAITM to invest Rs 500 m on first private Green Campus

Anuradha Kodagoda

The South Asian Institute of Technology and Management (SAITM) will invest Rs. 500 million on Sri Lanka’s first private sector Green Campus.

“It is envisaged to start academic programs by next month. The 90,000 sq ft campus building with seven floors and infrastructure facilities will provide students an international education with a national flair,” said the Chairman of SAITM, Dr. Neville Fernando. The educational institution was set up to serve students who were unable to enter the State universities. A large number of students in Sri Lanka who passed the GCE (Advanced Level) examination fail to enter universities in Sri Lanka.

The limited number of student placements available in local universities leaves thousands of highly competent students stranded with no possibility of continuing their higher education in the subject areas of their choice.

“Considering all these facts we wanted to build a university covering all higher studies subject areas, where students can do their studies in the country itself,” he said.

“The Government is not against the private sector and I highly appreciate the help and support we received to set up this institution,” he said.

“We have been able to negotiate with some Russian medical universities and they agreed to offer degrees in Sri Lanka.

“When Sri Lankan students pursue higher studies in Russia the total course fee would be approximately six million rupees. In other European countries such as Australia, UK and USA, it’s nearly five million rupees a year.”

The main advantage in this institution is that the students can complete their entire degree for six million rupees while they can do their final examinations in a particular overseas university,” he added.

SAITM plans to introduce undergraduate and postgraduate degree programs covering Information Technology, Business Management, Media and Communication Studies, Engineering, Architectural studies, Psychology, Bio Medical Sciences, Law and International Relations.

Students could also study foreign languages such as English, German, French, Spanish, Japanese, Russian and Korean.

Apart from these special higher education areas, language laboratory facilities are also available for students who are planning to pursue higher studies in a foreign language.

A team of highly qualified and experienced academics such as former Heads of Departments from State universities in Sri Lanka will constitute the academic and administrative staff of the proposed SAITM.

“The professionals we are recruiting in our university are all PhD holders and also those who are having second upper class degrees.

A standard recruitment procedure has been introduced to the State universities and the same recruitment criteria would be followed by us. “We don’t intend to make money from this institute, but to offer a good and standard level of education for the nation. The institute will be managed by a board of trustees,” said Dr. Fernando.