South Eastern University convocation:

Issues affecting higher education identified -SB

Dinesh DE ALWIS

The Higher Education Ministry is in the process of establishing a solid quality assurance and accreditation authority to look into matters related to Universities in Sri Lanka, said Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake.

He was delivering the key note address at the sixth General Convocation of the South Eastern University of Sri Lanka (SEUSL) at the BMICH Thursday.

Sri Lanka to be the knowledge hub of Asia has to maintain the national and international standards. Sri Lanka has to face many challenges to achieve this target. The Ministry has identified issues which affected the higher education system, the Minister said.

Sri Lankan universities need extremely good faculty staff. There are problems with the learning environment. The new authority will look into these matters, Dissanayake said. The South Eastern University of Sri Lanka held its sixth General convocation 2010 to confer degrees to 620 graduates in Applied Science, Arabic language and Management and commerce fields.

Higher Education Deputy Minister Nandimithra Ekanayake, Resettlement Deputy Minister Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, SEUSL Chancellor Prof Achi M Ishaq, SEUSL Vice Chancellor Dr S M M Ismail, Tamil Nadu Medical University, Vice Chancellor Dr Mayil Vahanan, Deans of the Faculties and University Registrar were also present.