Vocational training, skills development to Bathiudeen: Prez rejects PM's request

9 February 2019 10:22 am

President Maithripala Sirisena is reported to have turned down a request by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to assign the subject of vocational training and skills development to Industry and Commerce Minister Rishad Bathiudeen.

The President told Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting that there was no scientific basis for vocational training and skills development to be assigned to Minister Bathiudeen and said a scientific criterion had to be followed when assigning subjects to a minister. He said the government had already flouted it by assigning higher education as a subject to the water supply ministry.

Minister Bathiudeen is said to have asked for the additional subjects, following which the Prime Minister had made the request from the President.

The President has the constitutional authority to assign subjects to the ministers. (Kelum Bandara)