Parliament yesterday unanimously passed the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Special Provisions) Bill with amendments. The Bill provides for the absorption of medical students registered with the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.
The long-drawn SAITM issue is expected come to an end with the passage of the Bill. The Bill only applies to the 980 students already registered with the SAITM.The Amendments to the Bill were presented by Higher Education and Cultural Affairs Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe at the end of the debate. No Member called for a division for the Bill. According to the Bill, the students registered with SAITM between September 15, 2009 and May 15, 2017, will be absorbed to the Kotelawala University to follow the MBBS Degree Programme if they have obtained basic qualifications.
“Basic qualifications” mean 3 ‘S’ passes for Chemistry, Physics and Biology at the Advanced Level Examination or an equivalent foreign qualification including equivalent qualifications of students who have offered the subjects Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics. The absorbed students will be awarded the MBBS Degree (KDU) if they successfully complete the study programme.
