Batticaloa Campus will be a new university; Education Minister

Colombo (News 1st); The controversial Batticaloa Campus will be converted to a campus attached to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University or a separate university, said Education Minister Professor G. L. Peiris on Wednesday (21).

"The Ministry of Higher Education or the University Grants Commission has not approved for the Batticaloa Campus to award degrees. However, given that the premises has facilities and buildings better than those are the Universities of Colombo and Peradeniya, the government had decided on using the premises and the facilities for university students," said the Education Minister according to a statement. Further, the Education Minister said Sri Lanka will enroll 41,000 students in universities in 2021 compared to the 30,000 enrolled the previous year. "Sri Lanka currently has 16 universities and the 17th will be opened in May 2021," the Minister had noted.