The University Grants Commission (UGC) has announced that applications for university admission based on the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level Examination results will be accepted from today (28) until May 19.

The results of the examination were released online on March 31. 

The 2025 Advanced Level Examination was conducted at 2,362 centres islandwide, with 281,810 candidates sitting for the exam. 

Of them, 221,413 were school candidates and 60,397 private candidates.

According to the UGC, 176,527 candidates have qualified to apply for university admission. (Newswire)

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The need to establish a Higher Education Commission to regulate and monitor private universities and other degree-awarding institutions was raised at a meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education held recently. 

The committee examined the operation of private universities in Sri Lanka and the issues relating to their recognition by the University Grants Commission (UGC), during a discussion on November 21, chaired by MP Hesha Withanage.

During the discussion, the Committee Chair highlighted the emergence of institutions awarding degrees of inadequate quality and the resulting harm caused. He noted that many such institutions operate with profit-making as their primary objective rather than providing quality education. The Chair stressed the importance of ensuring that the entire process, from student admission to awarding of degrees, remains under the supervision of the UGC.

The Vice Chair of the UGC, expressing his views, underscored the need to establish a Higher Education Commission to regulate and monitor private universities and other degree-awarding institutions. He explained that such a body would enable the creation of comprehensive data systems and facilitate links with universities worldwide, allowing access to essential information on institutional standards and programme quality. This, he noted, would help ensure accurate decision-making when approving prospective private universities. These comments were further supported by the Additional Secretary (Non-State Higher Education) of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training, and by officials of the UGC.

The Committee also focused on issues related to state universities, scholarships offered for foreign degree programmes, and other related matters. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka today (09) ordered the University Grants Commission (UGC) to strictly enforce the set of guidelines currently in place to prevent ragging in universities.

The panel of judges also directed the Minister of Education and Higher Education to provide the necessary financial, technological support and facilities to implement those guidelines effectively.

This order was issued in connection with a fundamental rights petition filed by first-year student Pasindu Hirushan de Silva, who continues to suffer physically and mentally from injuries caused by ragging in 2020. 

The court order was issued by a three-judge bench comprising Shiran Gunaratne, Priyantha Fernando, and Sobitha Rajakaruna.

The judges further ordered that the case be called again on January 14 to review progress on the implementation of these directives. (Newswire)

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Senior Professor Kapila Seneviratne has been appointed as the Chairman of the University Grants Commission (UGC).

Prof. Seneviratne, a renowned scholar was appointed as the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Kelaniya, in March 2022.

He holds a BSc in Chemistry from the University of Kelaniya and a Ph.D. from Wayne State University, USA, with postdoctoral studies at the University of British Columbia, Canada. 

Prof. Seneviratne has also been a Commonwealth Fellow at the University of Leeds and a Fulbright Fellow at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

An expert in the chemistry and nutrition of edible oils, Prof. Seneviratne previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Science from 2014 to 2017 and has also served as the Chairman of both the Research Council and the Ethics Review Committee at the Kelaniya university.

The appointment comes after the Chairman and members of Sri Lanka’s University Grants Commission (UGC) tendered their resignations, earlier this week. (Newswire)

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The Chairman and members of Sri Lanka’s University Grants Commission (UGC) have tendered their resignations.

It is reported that they handed over their resignation letters to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake yesterday (Oct 14).

The resignations came after the Presidential Secretariat, via a letter from the President, had informed the UGC Chairman and Commission members to resign.

Accordingly, UGC Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunge, Deputy Chairman Prof. Chandana P. Udawatte, and other commission members have tendered their resignations. 

The tenure of the UGC Commission members who were appointed to their respective posts in 2020 was set to conclude in March 2025. (Newswire)

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The university non-academic staff trade unions have decided to call off their 75-day strike from today.

According to the trade unions, the decision was taken following discussions with the Chairman of the Unversity Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Sampath Amaratunge and the Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha. 

Non-academic employees from 17 universities and 19 joint post-graduate institutions engaged in a strike for over 70 days, severely disrupting the country’s higher education sector. The trade union action was launched based on several demands, including wage concerns and allowances.

Last week, the executive grade officers of the university’s non-academic staff became the first group to call off their trade union action. The strike action was called off based on an agreement signed with the Chairman of the UGC.

Following their footsteps, the remaining university non-academic staff trade unions on strike also called off their strike today. (Newswire)

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The public has been requested to refrain from publishing the results of the 2023 (2024) GCE Advanced Level Examinations on social media.

Chairperson of the University Grants Commission (UGC) Prof. Sampath Amaratunge warned that such displays on social media can adversely affect the students’ opportunity to apply to universities. 

Prof. Amaratunge pointed out that any person can use the information published on social media, such as the index number and National Identity Card (NIC) number on the results shared on social media.

He further said that this information can be used to apply for university admission by third parties, which will result in the actual applicant losing the opportunity to apply and secure a university admission.

“In the event of such an incident, the actual applicant will be able to gain this access only after remedying the entire process, which will take a long period of time,” he said.

Reiterating the dangers of sharing one’s A/ Level results on social media, especially Facebook, Prof. Amaratunge requested students and their families to refrain from doing so. 

The results of the 2023 (2024) GCE Advanced Level Examinations were released on May 31. 

According to the Department of Examinations, 173,444 applicants (64.33%) from a total of 269,613 who sat for the examinations qualified for university entrance. (Newswire)

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The report prepared for the establishment of the National Higher Education Development Commission (NHEDC), aimed at replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), has been submitted to the Education Ministry.

State Minister of Higher Education, Suren Raghavan revealed that the report prepared by the committee chaired by former Chief Justice K. Sripavan was submitted to the ministry, on Tuesday (Mar 26).

He further stated that upon thorough examination of the report, the establishment of the National Higher Education Development Commission (NHEDC) could be accomplished within this year.

“I must emphasize that this institution is crucial for the transformation of the university system in our country,” the State Minister said. 

State Minister Raghavan made the revelation while addressing a press briefing held at the Presidential Media Centre yesterday. 

“Regarding the years 2021-2022, I want to clarify that students who have passed their Advanced Level Examination have been successfully enrolled in 17 universities. Despite reports suggesting otherwise, I have the necessary documents to confirm that the student recruitment process for those years has been conducted as per schedule, and any claims stating otherwise are false.

“Additionally, there have been challenges in the previous season where final year students from certain universities are facing delays in completing their studies. This is compounded by a reduction in classroom facilities required for lectures and practical sessions. However, we have devised solutions to address these issues. We have acquired a building owned by the Mahaweli Authority in Ratmalana, as well as several government-owned buildings in the Kelaniya area. We anticipate that these problems will be resolved promptly once the renovations on these buildings are completed,” he added. (NewsWire)

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The University Grants Commission (UGC) has commenced the accepting of applications for university admissions for the academic year 2022/23.

UGC Chairman Prof. Sampath Amaratunge stated that the applications will be accepted from September 14, 2023 until October 05, 2023.

Prof. Amaratunge further stated that the applications can be submitted online via the UGC’s official website www.ugc.ac.lk.

Following the release of the results of the 2022(2023) GCE Advanced Level Examination earlier this month, Prof. Amaratunge said plans were underway by the government to enroll around 45,000 students in state universities for the new academic year.

A total of 232,797 school applicants and 31,136 private applicants sat for the 2022(2023) GCE Advanced Level examination which was held from January 23 to February 17 this year.

A total of 166,938 candidates (149,487 school applicants and 17,451 private applicants) have qualified for university admissions. (NewsWire)

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The various issues related to Sri Lanka’s university and higher education systems were taken up for discussion at the Parliamentary Committee on Public Enterprises (COPE).

According to the Parliament of Sri Lanka, the matters were discussed when the University Grants Commission was summoned before the COPE Committee on 28th April under the Chairmanship of MP Ranjith Bandara.

The Parliament said in a statement that the discussion took place on the basis of the following 10 points which were brought to the attention of the COPE.

1. Issues related to compliance with circulars issued by the Ministry of Finance.
2. Injustice to some students with a high Z score by conducting aptitude tests for certain subjects alternate to the Z score system.
3. Absence of a proper system to confirm the attendance of university lecturers for the purpose of payment.
4. Improper use of doctor and professor titles due to the lack of proper regulation.
5. Regulations pertaining to degrees awarded by private universities and higher education institutes.
6. The need to improve the quality of the national university system and adapt courses to suit the job market.
7. Need to bring University Provident Fund (UPF) under control as it is misused.
8. Dealing with pre-understanding of human resource management within the university system.
9. The need to implement a program to attract more foreign students.
10. Making a positive intervention to resume the work of university lecturers at a moment when they are absent from the evaluation of A-Level papers.

The Committee paid special attention to increasing the quality of the country’s university system and producing graduates suitable for the job market. It was revealed that 26% of the students who received university admission in the year 2021 are those who have studied for advanced level in the Arts stream and that the number of students who get university admission for science subjects is relatively low. But the committee pointed out that there are more people who get university degrees in science and technical subjects in developed countries around the world and emphasized that steps should be taken to change this situation.

Prof Sampath Amaratunga, Chairman of the University Grants Commission, stated the number of schools offering Advance Levels in Sri Lanka is 2952 and science subjects are available in only 1011 schools therefore science subjects are not taught in 1941 schools. It was also discussed that in 65.75% of schools facilitating Advance Levels not offering Science subjects is a problem. The Secretary to the Ministry of Education said that the search for solutions for this has been started through the STEM education system and steps will be taken to solve this problem. The Chair advised the Secretary to the Ministry to immediately intervene and prepare a work plan to send more students to the science and technology fields in higher education.

Appreciating the program of the commission including recruiting students for universities without delay due to the introduction of modern IT methods, COPE said that the universities of Sri Lanka should be improved to the international level. Instructions were also given to prepare a program to bring more international students to universities in Sri Lanka.

It was also disclosed that a software engineering degree course has been started by the Open University at a cost of Rs 90,000 per year. Whilst stating that usually in a private university such a degree costs Rs. 2-3 million, the chairman of the Commission pointed out that this degree can be completed for less than 300,000 rupees. Therefore, the Committee members advised the Commission to take steps to inform the people about this through the district coordination committees.

Instead of removing the powers of the University Grants Commission, the Committee pointed out the need to further strengthen the Commission to match the current needs. Attention was also drawn to the proposal regarding the establishment of a separate institution through a new Act for Quality Assurance in Higher Education Institutions. The Committee pointed out that it is more appropriate for the authority to be vested in the University Grants Commission itself. The Committee made recommendations for them to be informed within one month in detail why the commission should have powers for this. Furthermore, the COPE Chair said that COPE is ready to intervene in that regard.

It was also disclosed that Rs. 2 billion should be obtained from lecturers who went abroad for study purposes and have not returned back. The Committee members pointed out that they should take action to recover this amount from the relevant guarantors. It was revealed that only 84 of the 617 lecturers who went abroad have made the relevant payments so far. Accordingly, the Committee recommended that COPE be informed about the measures taken in this regard within a month.

The Committee, which focused on conducting aptitude tests related to certain subjects during university entrance creates a possibility of unfairness to students who have obtained a high Z value. It was emphasized that there is no need for a further aptitude test as a practical test has already been conducted for those subjects for the calculation of the Z score in the advanced level examination. Accordingly, COPE making recommendations to the Secretary to the Ministry of Education stated to take a decision in this regard immediately.

As the Auditor General had continuously pointed out, the Committee also recommended to the Commission to quickly prepare a system to confirm the attendance of university lecturers to ensure payment.

The Committee paid special attention to the improper use of the doctorate and professor titles by certain individuals from various institutions. The Chairman of the commission pointed out that there is no legal provision for the commission to take action for this. The Committee emphasized that the Commission should intervene in this matter, as the positions of Dr. and Professor are being undermined. Thus, it was informed to present the legal changes required to be made for this within a month.

It was also decided to summon the University Grants Commission again in two months to review the progress of implementing all these recommendations.

Members of Parliament Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Dayasiri Jayasekara, Rohitha Abeygunawardana, Eran Wickramaratne, Jagath Kumara Sumithraarachchi, (Major) Sudarshana Denipitiya, and Madhura Withanage were present at the Committee meeting. (NewsWire)

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