Cabinet approval given to increase university lecturers and hostel facilities

Cabinet approval to recruit more lecturers, increase hostel facilities and pay arrears of the Mahapola scholarships ahead of the new intake of university students has been given to the Education Ministry.

Approval was granted to finalise the details of the number of lecturers and the hostel facilities to be increased and implement recruitment and construction programmes, Education Minister Susil Premajayantha added.

Moreover, University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Sampath Amaratunge said permission had been granted to increase hostel facilities under Public-Private Partnerships.

The private sector would be able to invest in buildings under a 20 year agreement where the UGC would eventually own the building.

He said under the proposed programme the university would pay the bank based on a calculation for each student and in turn the bank would pay part of the funds to the private investor.

A three member committee had been appointed under the Prime Minister’s Secretary to decide on the number of academic staff members to be recruited. Meanwhile the Education Ministry was yet to clear the backlog of Mahapola scholarship payments.