The government is considering establishing a Vocational Technology University in the North Central Province by converting partially completed buildings originally constructed for a trilingual school in Kaduruwela, Polonnaruwa, with assistance from the Indian government.
According to the Ministry of Vocational Education, a site inspection and special discussion were held at the Polonnaruwa District Secretariat to explore transferring the buildings to the Ministry for the proposed university.
The buildings were partially constructed with Indian government assistance and subsequently handed over to the Sri Lankan government.
The discussion, chaired by Deputy Minister of Vocational Education Nalin Hewage, was attended by Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, Deputy Minister of Water Supply T.B. Sarath, MP Padmasiri Bandara, Polonnaruwa District Secretary Sudantha Ekanayake and other senior government officials.
Officials reviewed the current condition of the buildings, their suitability for vocational education and the need to expand higher education opportunities for young people in the North Central Province.
Following the discussion, all parties agreed to proceed with the necessary steps to transfer the buildings to the Ministry of Vocational Education and establish the proposed university.
The initiative forms part of a broader government plan to establish vocational technology universities across all nine provinces, providing students with opportunities to progress from vocational training to degree-level qualifications.
The proposed university is expected to expand access to higher vocational education within the North Central Province and help develop skilled workers to meet labour market demands.
The Ministry said the programme aims to create a continuous educational pathway from vocational training to university degrees, with priority given to students from the respective provinces. (Newswire)