_Opposition leader Sajid Premadasa, the leader of the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), has said that if the government arbitrarily amends the university law or seeks to pass the proposed Kottalawala Defense University Act, it will unite the intelligentsia, the university community, civil society organizations, other political parties and the entire population of the country to defeat the government's efforts.
He added that it is a well known fact that the Kottalawala Defense Science Faculty has been functioning as a training center for cadet officers under the Ministry of Defense since 1981 and as an institution of higher learning in Sri Lanka.
This is stated in the statement issued by him in this regard.
We wholeheartedly endorse the need to maintain the Kottalawala Defense University as it is, to provide more modern and scientific training to the Sri Lankan security forces and to give our full support to that decision. However, with the proposed Kotalawala Defense University Bill,
Attempt to establish a proposed university outside the control and existing legal framework of the Ministry of Higher Education and the University Grants Commission in violation of the University Act No. 16 of 1978;
* Failure to establish decision-making and educational framework within the proposed university by multi-disciplinary committees and sectoral committees;
Appointing the Vice-Chancellor, Dean and other officers of the University and removing the decision-making power of the Curriculum and Studies from the University and subjecting it to a dominant framework
Lack of proper benchmarking and structuring system to assess and maintain the quality of studies in the proposed university;
We express our opposition to this bill on the basis of facts such as the granting of powers to the proposed university to award degrees to other regional schools, educational institutions and training institutions.
We reiterate that the proposed law will have a detrimental effect on the structure of free education and its existence in this country.
We therefore urge the President to immediately repeal the proposed Kottalawala Defense University Act.
Addressing a Buddhist Advisory Council on July 16, the President said that parts of the University Act of 16, 1978 would be amended or the proposed Kottalawala Defense University Act would be passed.
We urge the President not to touch university law to achieve such anti-people goals not to reduce the privilege of free education that people have been enjoying for decades.
We, as a responsible opposition, remind you that amending the University Act without
proper discussion and consensus will lead to a serious crisis in the field of education and higher education in this country.
If the government arbitrarily amends the university law or seeks to pass the proposed
Kottalawala Defense University Act, the Ikea People's Power is determined to unite and defeat the government's attempt to unite the intelligentsia, the university
