State Minister of Higher Education, Suren Raghavan, revealed that the report prepared by the committee chaired by former Chief Justice K. Sripavan for the establishment of the National Higher Education Development Commission (NHEDC), aimed at replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), has been submitted to the ministry, today (26).

He further stated that upon thorough examination of the report, the establishment of the National Higher Education Development Commission (NHEDC) could be accomplished within this year.

State Minister Raghavan was addressing a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre today (26) under the theme of “Collective Path to a Stable Country”.

The State Minister, adding to his remarks, also stated:

Regarding the years 2021-2022, I want to clarify that students who have passed their Advanced Level Examination have been successfully enrolled in 17 universities. Despite reports suggesting otherwise, I have the necessary documents to confirm that the student recruitment process for those years has been conducted as per schedule, and any claims stating otherwise are false.

Additionally, there have been challenges in the previous season where final year students from certain universities are facing delays in completing their studies. This is compounded by a reduction in classroom facilities required for lectures and practical sessions. However, we have devised solutions to address these issues. We have acquired a building owned by the Mahaweli Authority in Ratmalana, as well as several government-owned buildings in the Kelaniya area. We anticipate that these problems will be resolved promptly once the renovations on these buildings are completed.

There is an important matter that I would like to address regarding the proposed replacement of the University Grants Commission (UGC) with the National Higher Education Development Commission (NHEDC). Today (26), the Ministry received the report containing the observations of the committee chaired by former Chief Justice K. Sripavan, on this subject.

Upon reviewing the report, I am confident that the establishment of the National Higher Education Development Commission can be achieved within this year. I must emphasize that this institution is crucial for the transformation of the university system in our country.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe emphasized the necessity of preserving law and order in the country, highlighting the crucial steps taken to safeguard state properties, including the parliament, prime minister’s office, and president’s office, from violence orchestrated under the guise of a struggle.