Medical Faculties at Wayamba, S’gamuwa Universities notable achievements: UGC
View(s):The University Grants Commission (UGC) said the establishment of Medical Faculties at Wayamba and Sabaragamuwa Universities last year, is a notable achievement, according to a report.
The report on work conducted by the ‘UGC for 2017’, stated that, last year it increased the intake into State Universities by 1,180 made up of 160 for Medicine, Engineering- 50, Management & Commerce- 285, Technology- 225, Science- 200, Humanities & Social Sciences- 100, 80 for Information Technology- 80, Agriculture- 45, Law- 20, five for Paramedical Courses- 5 and Siddha Medicine- 10.
The UGC last year approved 7 new Faculties. Accordingly, a Faculty of Medicine for Sabaragamuwa University, a Faculty of Allied Health Sciences for Ruhuna University, Faculties of Technology for the Universities of Rajarata, Sabaragamuwa and Wayamba, a Faculty of Technological Studies for Uva-Wellassa University and a Faculty of Nursing for Colombo University.
Last year, 39 new Departments were approved and 33 new Degree programmes made up of 18 Undergraduate and 15 Postgraduate programmes. A new course of study, namely Financial Engineering was approved and will be introduced at Kelaniya University.
It said the admission process has been simplified, modernized and regulated. “Arrangements were made to link UGC software with data available at the Election Commission, through which extracts of the electoral registry were made use of to determine the relevant districts for University admissions. Accordingly, students are no longer required to obtain letters from the Department of Elections to be included in their applications. The application process is thus less tedious,” the Commission’s report said.
The UGC also had a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) arranged with the Department of Registration of Persons to verify the National Identity of the students who are applying for university admission to improve the efficiency and the transparency of the university admissions.
UGC said it addressed the national demand to reduce the time interval between release of G.C.E. A/L examination results and admission of students to state universities. A new mechanism was introduced to directly identify the number of vacancies in universities, soon after the deadline for registration to courses, and arrangements made to fill vacancies in those courses.
The UGC has introduced a new system which enables students satisfied with the selected course of study of the university they were offered, to remove all the higher preferred courses of study of universities, which they do not want to be considered when filling of vacancies from the list they submitted in their applications.
“Accordingly, students were given the opportunity to remain in their preferred course of study of the university, without getting promoted to their higher preferences. This has resulted in the reduction of vacancies by more than 70% at the time of finalizing the intake for the academic year 2016-2017, when compared with academic year 2015-2016.”
The UGC reiterated it can now complete registration of students to universities before the universities commence their academic sessions, and send the final lists of registered students to universities to commence academic activities without delay.
Last year it introduced “Upadhidari Vivasayake Udanaya” an enterperneurship development programme for university graduates in collaboration with National Enterprise Developmen Authority to provide seed money for successful business plans. A Tracer study with UNESCO funding has also been commenced to analyze graduate employability to obtain objective evidence with active participation of public and private sectors.
Among other steps to enhance the university education to suit the job market and address the issue of skills mismatch, it has directed universities to introduce locally and globally relevant new and innovative programmes with the UGC willing to provide funding.
It is also in the process of restructuring the existing Arts Faculty Degree programmes by introducing new knowledge and skills, and make them relevant to the present needs of the country. - Nadia Fazlulhaq