The South Eastern University should be a center of excellence within the next few years, Higher Education Minister Prof. Wiswa Warnapala told administrators and academics of the Oluvil University, at a meeting at the UGC auditorium to discuss development projects under the ‘Nagenahira Nawodaya’.

The Minister said that under the ‘Nagenahira Nawodaya’ Programme, the government had allocated Rs. 420,147,022 for infrastructure development of the South Eastern University. "According to this position, we would have to improve the University as a centre of excellence. Also, I would like to emphasise, in our country there would not be universities named as Sinhalese University, Tamil University or Muslim University. Therefore, as administrators and academics, we should know to make the student community an aggregation under one country. Therefore you should create opportunities for Sinhala students as well in the Eastern University.

"We had a World Bank meeting last week. They emphasise in their report, Sri Lankan Higher Education should be the main gate for development of the country. I read the report of the UNESCO Education Minister’s Conference held last month. Their vision too is the same. Therefore, Higher Education is the key to development. During the last few decades the Sri Lankan government did not concern itself about the Jaffna and Eastern University perfectly."

Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs. Malini Peiris, Additional Secretary Piyasena Ranepura, UGC Chairmen Prof. Gamini Samaranayke, Vice Chancellor of the Eastern University Prof. N. Padmanadan, Council Members of the University, Deans of Faculties, and the Administrators were present.