The Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Harini Amarasuriya

¶ 01 Hon. Member, thank you. The Law College does not come under the Ministry of Education; it is an independent institution, so we must deal with it separately. No request has come to us in that regard, and it is not administered by the Ministry.

¶ 02 As you know, for some time various institutions calling themselves private universities and awarding degrees have operated without a national policy or clear regulatory framework. We have examined this. Through the Non-State Higher Education Division of the Ministry of Higher Education, there is a quality assurance committee that conducts institutional reviews and makes recommendations prior to awarding degrees. However, all this has operated without an overarching national policy for the non-state higher education sector.

¶ 03 There must be clear national quality standards within the national higher education framework. The committee has functioned thus far without such a policy; this is not the committee’s fault but due to the lack of national policy. I have now instructed them, after discussions, to study this, consult State universities, and draft a policy with a proper regulatory process. I have requested a report, including a review of their past work, with policy proposals and recommendations.