Rs 1.78 billion for 5 major University projects approved by Cabinet

Cabinet this week approved Rs 1.78 billion for five new major projects in universities across the country.

Under a proposal by Higher Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake to award construction contracts as recommended by the Standing Cabinet Appointed Procurement Committee (SCAPC), the projects were approved on Thursday (19).

These projects include a Rs 331 million five-storied building complex for the Faculty of Applied Sciences and another five-storied building at Rs 253 million for the Information Technology (IT) Center at the Eastern University’s Trincomalee campus.

A four-storied building complex for the Library at the same university is also to be constructed at a cost of Rs 271 million.

In addition, a sum of Rs 797 million has been allocated for the development of Peradeniya University’s Faculty of Agriculture, and a separate building complex for Moratuwa University’s Faculty of IT, phase II, will be also built under the new project scheme, at a cost of Rs 127 million.

A large part of the new projects are being launched to advance the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) initiated programme to enroll more students into the Technology streams by 2016.

“The increased opportunities to acquire Bachelor level Degrees in diverse fields are expected to bridge the gap between Industry requirements and qualified job aspirants,” said the Central Bank Annual Report 2013.

The UGC granted approval in 2013 for 26 new Postgraduate Degree programmes in the Technology streams.