The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Speaker, I will first respond to the last matter raised by the Hon. Member.

¶ 02 Under the previous Governments, the process of appointing Principals deteriorated severely. Acting appointments were made outside proper procedures for years, which was unfair to those officers and to schools. We are rectifying this. Under the current regulations, applicants with the required qualifications for Principal posts are being appointed to vacancies in all national schools through a proper interview-based process. We apply the same procedure uniformly to all schools. Therefore, the Principal appointed to the Bandaranaike College referred to by the Hon. Member has been appointed under this due process, and we must adhere to it.

¶ 03 Regarding the main Question on the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine:

¶ 04 (1) Based on various complaints and oral representations, we have identified issues and I have appointed an expert committee for a formal, analytical inquiry. We met students and academic staff to discuss key issues. A primary issue is that when the former Gampaha Wickramarachchi Institute was upgraded to a university, new faculties and degree programmes were started without adequate facilities — both human resources and physical infrastructure. Moreover, degree programmes outside the core objectives of indigenous medicine — such as technology, social sciences and management — were introduced, raising serious concerns about quality. The committee will recommend what should be done.

¶ 05 (2) The committee has been given three months and is due to submit its report by 2nd June. This is a complex matter, and we expect to take decisions after considering the committee’s report.

¶ 06 (3) To integrate and promote indigenous and alternative medical systems in higher education, degree programmes in Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani are being conducted at four universities: University of Jaffna, Eastern University, University of Colombo and Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Ayurveda. The annual intake to these first degrees is 719.

¶ 07 (4) For the internship and appointments of indigenous medical graduates, the University Grants Commission prepares the priority list each time on the request of the Ayurvedic Commissioner-General, and appointments are made by the Ministry of Health. We are taking steps to regularize the procedure and shorten delays. There were previous delays in internships and appointments; we are now rectifying them. A final decision on the issues at the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University will be taken after receiving the committee report.

¶ 08 Thank you.