Harsha tells P’ment SAITM will be wound up

By Ashwin Hemmathagama – Our Lobby Correspondent

Plans to wind up controversial private medical school the South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine (SAITM) before the end of this year surprised lawmakers present for the Constitutional Assembly yesterday.

Obtaining special permission to deliver a ministerial statement even though it was not a regular Parliament sitting, the Chairman of the Presidential Committees appointed to investigate and recommend an acceptable solution to the SAITM issue, Deputy Minister of National Policies and Economic Affairs Dr. Harsha de Silva further assured that student admissions would be discontinued and the existing students would be given a solution.

“A solution will be formulated for the students who had been registered before and are currently studying at SAITM. The solution will be in accordance with the University Grants Commission Act,” he said, hoping that the parents engaged in a hunger strike near the National Hospital suspend their action and the medical students of state universities will discontinue their actions and return to lectures. According to Deputy Minister Dr. de Silva, the committee took that decision based on discussions held with all stakeholders, including the Acting Presidential Secretary Sumith Abeysinghe, Prime Minister’s Secretary Saman Ekanayake, the association of medical undergraduates’ parents and the Minister of Higher Education.