Each university must focus to become unique by its own standards: Prof.G.L.Peiris

Education Minister Professor G.L. Peiris said that each of the 13 universities must focus on a unique and a different manner to be identified for their strength and capacity.

The Minister expressed his views at an event recently organised by the Alumni Association of the Colombo University that felicitated their former Vice Chancellor Prof. Peiris, who is now appointed the Minister of Education, held at the Senate Hall of the University.

The event was attended by Vice Chancellors, Deans, Academics and Alumnus.

Speaking to the audience, Minister Peiris said each University should be seen as different from the other.

He further raised the concern that the university system was unable to accommodate a large number of students although they qualified with the required marks for university entrance and therefore he had plans to increase the intake to the Universities.

He drew attention to the mismatch in the university curricula as against the requirements of employers for suitable employment in the job market.

He said that Private Sector employers had said that there were many vacancies that existed for employment in the private sector but they were unable to find suitably qualified candidates to fill those vacancies as per their requirements. The Minister said that undergraduates needed to be taught Information Technology before they graduated from the University and be made competent to work in English if they were to obtain gainful employment.

Prof. Peris in his address referred to the contribution made by past President of the Alumni Association late Mrs. Sujatha Jayawardena by building a Hostel to accommodate Women Undergraduates at Buller’s Lane, since the University had rented 32 individual houses to accommodate those students during that time.