AHS program being redesigned for 4-year duration – Peradeniya VC

May 31, 2014, 8:22 pm

By Maheen Senanayake, The Island

"Steps are currently underway to reintroduce the four year Allied Health Sciences (AHS) program," said Professor Athula Senaratne, Vice Chancellor of the Peradeniya University said yesterday.

Asked whether the AHS faculty students have boycotted the examinations currently underway he said "yes they have".

"The University of Peradeniya has taken a decision and is currently following due process to re-introduce the four- year AHS degree programs. We have to first obtain board of study approval and then obtain approval from the faculty development and planning committee and then from the Senate", he said.

This process can take another two - three months first and then perhaps even a year. Then we have to go through the Senate twice and the standing committee at the University Grants Commission (UGC) twice before the program can finally be introduced.

Asked whether all the students currently in the faculty will benefit from this, he said "all except the current final year students." For them we could always find an interim solution but whatever the case may be everything depends on the students attending lectures.

AHS faculty students have been demanding the re-instatement of the four-year degrees by the Faculty of AHS, Peradeniya following objection by the GMOA to clinical practice. Though the GMOA has not openly objected to this, they have covertly hindered the completion of the fourth year clinical component prompting the Peradeniya University to petition the Supreme Court, Higher Education Ministry secretary Sunil Jayantha Navratne said.

However, subsequently the UGC shortened the program to three years and students took to the streets.

Attempts to contact Najith Indika, convenor, Inter University Student Federation for comment on these developments were not successful.