Final decision on SAITM issue next week: President

President Maithripala Sirisena said that the Government’s final decision on the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) issue will be declared in the next week.

Speaking at the Annual Convocation of the Aquinas University College on Thursday, the President further said that although the Government had taken many steps to resolve the SAITM issue during the past period, various ideas were presented regarding those solutions.

However, President Sirisena said that he thought that the final decision, which would be announced by the Government next week, will be sufficient for many people who were against SAITM including the students protesting against the medical institution.

The President said that the responsibilities of creating intellectuals to meet the needs of the innovation economy would lie with the State Universities as well as with the private sector. He also said that all these institutions should safeguard the quality and standards of the education.   

This was the eighth graduation of Aquinas University College, where graduates were awarded with degrees of Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Counselling (B.Sc.), Bachelor of Information Technology (BIT) and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Religious Studies (BA). 

The President awarded degrees to 15 students, marking this event. 

The Chancellor of the Aquinas University College, Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith, Rectors including the Vice Chancellor Rev. Dr. Susith Silva, Minister John Amaratunga, Joseph Michael Perera and others participated on this occasion.