Barring local students from KDU medical degree

THE Government's decision to refrain from recruiting locally qualified civilian students to the medical degree program offered by Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) has caused shock and consternation among many. Making a special statement in the Parliament, Deputy Defence Minister Aruna Jayasekara confirmed that only cadets and international students will be permitted to follow medical studies at the State Defence University.

- 

At first glance, the move to stop recruiting local civilian students by the KDU whilst imposing no restrictions on foreign students appears to be quite weird. According to media reports, the controversial decision has been made due to the strong opposition expressed by the medical practitioners among NPP MPs towards granting opportunities for civilian students to follow the KDU's MBBS degree program.

The ideological parent of the NPP ~ the Marxist JVP — was viscerally opposed towards the establishment of Private Medical Colleges (PMC) in the country. Nevertheless, the NPP ~ the more modern and less leftist successor of the JVP - conveyed a noticeably accommodative stance towards PMCs prior to the two national elections last year in spite of the past antagonistic views of its predecessor. Such a shift in the position would have been necessitated by the requirement to enhance the appeal of the political coalition among upper middle-class voters — a vital group of voters in determining the outcome of national elections.