Recommendations have been submitted by a committee appointed by the Cabinet of Ministers to propose a framework for student admissions to the Faculty of Medicine (FOM) of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).
The committee is co-chaired by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) and includes Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa and Secretary to the Ministry of Health Dr. Anil Jasinghe.
The committee has presented ten recommendations regarding the admission of students to the KDU Medical Faculty.
Among these are:
- Only one batch of medical students will be admitted annually.
- The total number of students admitted annually will be limited to 150.
- A maximum of 100 local civilian medical students will be admitted on a fee-paying basis.
Priority for admissions will be given in the following order:
- Students from the tri-forces (military),
- Foreign students,
- Local civilian students.
Additionally, all students must meet a minimum Z-score of 1.4000 or higher, as determined by the university’s management board.
Of the total local civilian student intake, 10% will be admitted on full scholarships. These students will be selected through the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Higher Education, and the Ministry of Vocational Education.
Students admitted to the KDU Medical Faculty:
Will not be allowed to register as a full-time internal student at state universities (excluding the Open University).
Students who are already registered as full-time internal students at other state universities (excluding the Open University) will not be allowed to enroll at KDU.
Civilian students enrolled in the course will not be required to wear a special uniform. They will attend lectures in the same manner as students in other medical faculties.
The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Mass Media will identify and designate specific hospitals for clinical training for these students.
KDU will not guarantee employment for these students in government hospitals after graduation. Any such employment will depend solely on the availability of vacancies at the time. Students will be required to acknowledge this condition during enrollment.
Furthermore, academic staff members currently serving in medical faculties under the University Grants Commission (UGC) will only be eligible for appointment to the KDU Medical Faculty after a five-year cooling-off period following their resignation from UGC-affiliated institutions. This condition will not apply during sabbatical leave or retirement, according to the recommendations of the committee.
