Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has strongly criticized the government’s decision to discontinue the medical degree program at the Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), calling it a grave error that will deprive students of vital educational opportunities.
Delivering a special statement regarding the discontinuation of local student admissions to the Kotelawala Medical Faculty, the Opposition Leader noted that this medical program is an approved course recognized by the Sri Lanka Medical Council. He emphasized that the faculty annually accommodates 50 foreign and cadet students, 100 internal students, and 150 students in total. The termination of this program, he warned, would significantly diminish educational opportunities available within the country.
Premadasa also pointed out that this medical program contributes to the national economy by generating foreign exchange. “With the closure of this program, the country will lose a valuable source of dollar income, and students aspiring to pursue medical education will be forced to seek foreign alternatives,” he said.
He explained that students currently enrolled in the program pay approximately Rs. 1.3 million locally. If the course is discontinued, these students may be compelled to spend between Rs. 4 to 5 million to study abroad, resulting in substantial outflows of foreign currency.
Furthermore, the Opposition Leader highlighted that many students who currently study medicine at KDU under the free education system come from universities in Eastern, Sabaragamuwa, and Uva provinces. Due to geographical challenges, they opt for KDU. As a result, additional students are accommodated in those regional universities. Closing KDU’s medical faculty, he said, would disrupt this balance and deny students access to free education opportunities.
Premadasa also noted that students from the Katubedda Medical Faculty benefit from various facilities available at the Kotelawala Medical Faculty. With the closure of the KDU program, those support systems will also be lost.
“At a time when Sri Lanka faces a shortage of nearly 15,000 doctors, the government should be expanding medical education, not restricting it,” he said. “This is not the time to reduce educational opportunities, but to increase them.”
He emphasized the need to modernize and enhance the country’s free education system through proper allocation of financial resources. “Rather than shutting down institutions like the Kotelawala Medical Faculty, we must focus on strengthening them to ensure that our youth receive the educational opportunities they rightfully deserve.”
Premadasa stressed that the government is taking a misguided path. He called for an immediate reversal of the decision, stating that increasing access to higher education, especially in medicine, is the need of the hour. “We must not allow outdated and conservative ideologies to hinder progress. Instead, we must understand the pressing educational demands of the present,” he said.
Concluding his statement, the Opposition Leader affirmed that the opposition will exert its maximum influence to reinstate the KDU medical program and will continue efforts to modernize the nation’s free education system by securing greater financial support.
