News
SAITM committee decision tomorrow
View(s):The committee appointed to implement the Government’s solution to the SAITM issue will announce its decision tomorrow. Deputy Minister Harsha de Silva who heads the committee told the Sunday Times that the announcement would be made once the decision was finalised.
The Government’s proposal called for the abolition of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine and its conversion into a non-profit educational institute. SAITM medical students are to be absorbed into a government-approved institution. During the discussions, the committee agreed that the abolition of SAITM should be done in a legally acceptable manner.
The nine-member implementation committee also includes Health Ministry Secretary Janaka Sugathadasa, Higher Education Ministry Secretary D.C. Dissanayake, University Grants Commission Chairman Mohan de Silva, Sri Lanka Medical Council Chairman Colvin Guneratne, Colombo University Vice Chancellor Lakshman Dissanayake, Jayawardenepura University Vice Chancellor Sampath Amaratunga, Colombo University Medical Faculty Dean Jennifer Perera and Kelaniya University Medical Faculty Dean Nilanthi de Silva.
The implementation committee appointed to solve the SAITM issue was later expanded to include representatives of the Government Medical Officers’ Association, the Federation of Medical Faculty Teachers’ Association, the State University Parents’ Union, the SAITM Parents’ Association and the President of the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA).