KDU Act to be amended to absorb SAITM students

The minimum entry requirements for the 982 SAITM students set to be absorbed into the Kotalawala Defence University (KDU) will be three S grades (simple passes) in science subjects at the G.C.E. (Advanced Level ) Examination, the Government has decided.

This is outlined in a KDU Act amendment submitted to Parliament and due be taken up for debate before issuing the required gazette notification.

The amendments says the basic qualifications would mean ‘s’ grade (simple) pass in Chemistry, Physics and

Biology at the G.C.E (A/L) examination conducted by the Examinations Department of Sri Lanka or an equivalent foreign qualification including equivalent qualifications of students who have of f e red the subjects Chemistry, Mathematics and Biology.

According to the amendment, these 982 students of the South Asia Institute of Information Technolo g y and Medicine ( SAITM) once they complete the degree will receive an MBBS (KDU) degree.

However, it remains the KDU Board of Management’s decision as to the criteria by which it will award the degree. The KDU management will also assess the case of the two batches of graduate students who finished their study course at SAITM.

Only students who joined SAITM from September 15, 2009 to May 15, 2017 will be considered for admission.

The SAITM students were concerned that they would be assessed on KDU’s minimum requirements, which are much higher than the University Grants Commission (UGC) requirements.

The students wanted to be judged based on the UGC requirements at the date they entered SAITM, a UGC approved institute.

The clauses mentioned in the amendment answer the concerns the SAITM students had regarding which degree they would receive.

The students were worried that they would not be able to intern at hospitals as the SAITM degree is not recognised by the Sri Lanka Medical Council.