Govt. to regularise private education

The Cabinet took a step towards regularising private education yesterday by approving a non-State higher education council to regulate tertiary educational Institutes.

On a proposal made by Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake, Cabinet approval was granted to prepare a legal framework to provide for quality assurance and accreditation of institutions providing higher education, registration and regulation of non-State higher educational institutions.

Media Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said that accordingly, the Bill to establish the “Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework, Accreditation and Quality Assurance Board” and to establish a council for non-State higher education will be presented in Parliament during this year.

The Council established under the proposed new Act will assure the delivery of quality higher education programmes offered by all higher educational institutions in the country. Earlier the Higher Education Ministry Secretary Dr. Sunil Nawaratne had announced that the new Higher Education Act to allow foreign universities into Sri Lanka had been presented to Cabinet earlier this month.

Part of the Act contains a monitoring system that is described by the Cabinet paper that would regulate all non-State higher education including possible private universities.