The Hon. M.S. Uthumalebbe

¶ 01 Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to join this debate on the Universities (Amendment) Bill. The Ministries of Education and Higher Education, Justice, and Defence must act with fairness. In the past, these ministries were mismanaged and people rejected those governments. I urge you to act justly.

¶ 03 The South Eastern University is in Oluvil, Ampara. In the Budget debate, I requested a Medical Faculty there. SEUSL has operated as a national university since 15 May 1996, with six faculties: Arts and Culture; Management and Commerce; Applied Sciences; Islamic Studies and Arabic Language; Engineering; and Technology. Only a Medical Faculty is missing. I request that it be established this year.

¶ 04 Given the growing population and health needs of Sri Lanka’s south-eastern region and the university’s potential, please establish the Medical Faculty leveraging the base hospitals at Akkaraipattu, Nintavur, Sainthamaruthu, Kalmunai, Attalaichenai, Oluvil and Palamunai as associated teaching hospitals. Though these hospitals are well developed with advanced facilities, there is a shortage of qualified medical specialists in the region. A Medical Faculty will improve services by training practitioners who understand local needs. Currently, national medical intake is far below requirement, forcing capable regional students to miss admission due to limited quotas and go abroad. A SEUSL Medical Faculty would expand access, promote regional equity, reduce outflow, and foster biomedical research, public health initiatives and community programmes. I also urge filling staffing vacancies across universities: UGC data show 7,418 staff vacancies; 9,332 permanent academic cadre approved but only 6,946 in post—leaving 2,048 vacancies. At Peradeniya alone 305 academic vacancies; at Sri Jayewardenepura 227; Colombo 179; Ruhuna 195; Moratuwa similar. There are also 725 temporary lecturer vacancies. Please fill them urgently to maintain teaching quality. Thank you.