BoI chief dispells private medical college bogey
April 2, 2009 12:40 pm
Though the ‘Mahinda Chintanaya’ does not encourage the establishment of private universities, the recently proposed private medical college is only a branch of a foreign private university, said Sri Lanka’s Board of Investment (BoI) chairman Dhammika Perera who was present at the Cabinet news briefing this morning (April 2).
Explaining further, Mr. Perera said while Sri Lanka needed more doctors, the proposed medical college will provide the opportunity for the local youth with emphasis on the lower income group. He added that of the entrants to the new medical college, five per cent will be earmarked as scholarships for the dependants of war heroes and Samurdhi recipients.
The BoI chief made it clear that if any of those qualifying from this college wants to join the government service, he or she would have to pass a special examination as required by the service.
On claims that many factories were closing down, Mr. Perera stated that as far as the BoI was concerned, 50 factories had closed down. But pointing at the brighter side, he said 90 new ones have opened up and the number of employees losing jobs due to closures was some 700. The BoI has recently recruited 8,000 persons for establishments under its purview and there are 10,000 more vacancies available, Mr. Perera added.
Source Ada Derana