SL authorities urge protesting medical students to return to studies

Sri Lanka’s University Grants Commission (UGC) in a public appeal on Wednesday, urged protesting students of state medical facilities to return the classroom.
In a newspaper advertisement also targeting parents of these students, the UGC said it was concerned that state medical students were not returning to academic activities and clinical training despite the Supreme Court granting leave to proceed to interested parties.
Students of state medical faculties in local universities have been boycotting lectures for several months demanding the closure of the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) over its flawed approval process. Most of their parents are supporting the protest campaign.  
The Supreme Court last week granted leave to appeal to the Sri Lanka Medical Council against an Appeal Court decision that has permitted final year medical students at SAITM to get provisional registration as doctors. The appeal is due to heard shortly.
“The Ministry of Health, Nutrition and Indigenous Medicine will shortly gazette the minimum standards. Therefore we request students to return and resume education and earnestly request guidance and support from parents to prevent further impact on the education and wellbeing of the children,” the notice by the UGC chairman said. – ENDS -