International degree providers, an asset to national education sector - SB

Rasika Somarathna

International degree providers in Sri Lanka are an asset to the national education sector, rather than being a bane to it, Higher Education Minister S B Dissanayake said.

Stating that local university system does not have the capacity to accommodate all who qualify for higher education and this has created a plethora of issues for students who fail to enter the system, the minister said international degree providers have filled this vacuum to a certain extent.

The minister said he believed international education was important and vital in providing the sufficiently qualified manpower requirements that the government and private sector require to achieve the country's goals in national development.

The minister was speaking at the opening of Horizon City Campus, an international degree providing institution at Kirimandala Mawatha, Narahenpita.

Dissanayake addressing a gathering after opening the new institution said it was his firm belief that students, who are exposed to expectations and rigours of an international programme, would also have the opportunities of utilisng such experiences, within a Sri Lankan context.

"What institutions like Horizon has delivered to us nationally are many. With the advent of international degree programmes, and institutions such as Horizon, we as a nation have been able to keep our younger generation within the country," he said highlighting another benefit of private higher education institutions.

The minister said Horizon Campus, Malabe and now in Colombo has taken steps to achieve its ideals of providing international standard higher education to students in a variety of fields. Managing Director and CEO of Horizon Upul Daranagama said his institution is capable of providing higher education to students in a variety of fields at an affordable fee and at internationally acceptable quality.

Horizon Campus located in Malabe and Colombo is equipped with ultra-modern facilities for education as well as extra-curricular activities, he said.

Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr Sunil Jayantha Navarathne also addressed the gathering.