Thursday, July 14, 2011

60,000 deprived of higher education

Daily Mirror 13/07/2011

By Lakna Paranamanna 

More than 60,000 students are currently deprived of opportunities to pursue higher education annually due to the suspension of registrations for external degrees since last October, the National Centre of External Degree Teachers and Students (NCEDTS) yesterday said. 

NCEDTS Convener K.P. Somasiri told a media briefing that each year, of more than 100,000 A/L candidates, at least 60,000 students  who did not obtain sufficient z-scores to enter universities apply for the external degree programme in the hope of pursuing higher studies . 

 “Now not only are these students deprived of opportunities for higher education, but due to contradictory statements by the Higher Education Minister and the University Grants Commission, the stability of external degree programmes in universities countrywide are in an uncertain position,” he said.