Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education, (SLIATE) is to be upgraded to degree awarding institute on par with university status.
This pledge was given by Technology and Innovations State Minister Thilanga Sumathipala at meeting of the representatives of SLIATE staff recently.
He noted that this institution could be further improved by establishing links with the University Grants Commission, state universities and other non governmental degree awarding institutions.
An opportunity will be given to students of SLIATE to conduct research activities in collaboration with modern research and innovation institutes functioning under the ministry of Technology and Innovations he added.
A strategic plan to up grade SLIATE will be devised in consultation with all stake holders of the institute with in the next two weeks, he disclosed.
As per the recommendations of the Committee appointed by Prof. Wiswa Waranapala, Deputy Minister of Higher Education in 1994, the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technical Education (SLIATE) was formed in 1995, under the Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technical Education Act No. 29 of 1995.
In 2001 the name of the institution was amended to read as Sri Lanka Institute of Advanced Technological Education, (SLIATE). It functions as an autonomous Institute for the management of Higher National and National Diploma courses.
The main purposes of establishing SLIATE were to reform and restructure the entire technical and vocational education system in relation to the changing needs of economic development, to meet manpower requirements of national development strategies, and the promotion of privatization, with special concern for meeting the scarcity of trained technological manpower resources at the technician level.
(LI)