The obstacles in the University Grants Commission (UGC) Act will be eliminated and the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) too will be brought under its purview, said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
He was speaking at the 11th meeting with the Buddhist Advisory Council at the Presidential Secretariat, on Friday (July 16), a media release from the President’s Media Division (PMD) stated.
The President briefed the Maha Sangha on the measures taken by the Government to control the spread of Covid-19 including its vaccination drive, and the Kotelawala Defence University Bill.
He said that the Kotelawala Defence University has produced a large number of scholars over the past 40 years and that even students who pass the GCE Advanced Level examination with high marks are also eager to enter the Kotelawala Defence University for higher education.
President Rajapaksa stressed the need to set up quality universities to save the large amount of money lost to the country and to parents when sending their children abroad for higher education.
The Head of the State said that the obstacles in the University Grants Commission Act will be overcome and the Kotelawala Defence University will be brought under its purview.
With regard to the national inoculation drive, the President expressed confidence that all vaccines received since the arrival of the first batch of AstraZeneca jabs on January 28, and the district-level vaccination programs implemented across the country will pave the way to complete the administration of the recommended doses to people over the age of 30 before the end of next month.
It is also expected to complete the vaccination drive in the Kandy district before the Kandy Esala perahera. The President said that the World Health Organization has commended the vaccination program in Sri Lanka and that Sri Lanka has become one of the leading countries in South Asia in vaccination.
President Rajapaksa said that the unconstructive opposition by certain groups to policy decisions taken for the benefit of the future of the country is a grave injustice to our future generations. The Maha Sangha commended the President and the Government for their efforts to control the spread of Covid-19 and stressed the need to educate the public about the objectives of the Kotelawala Defence University and to take steps to prevent the spread of misconceptions in society regarding this University. Members of the Buddhist Advisory Council, Principal Advisor to the President, Lalith Weeratunga, Secretaries to Ministries and Government officials were also present.