The Cabinet of Ministers today approved a proposal to re-enforce the circular of Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA) as an alternative qualification to B.Com degree.

The memorandum was submitted by Lakshman Kiriella, Minister of Higher Education and Highways.

The decision comes in the wake of public outcry over the recent police attack on protesting HNDA students who were demanding the reinstating of the Public Administration Circular 46/90, which was repealed by the Rajapaksa regime, and to recognise Higher National Diploma in Accountancy (HNDA) as equal to a Bachelor of Commerce degree program.

The HNDA was considered as an alternative to a B.Com degree offered by a Sri Lankan university by the Public Administration Circular No.46/90 of 1990. 

Students who have followed the HNDA course have faced difficulties in applying for public sector vacancies as the P.A. circular no. 46/90 issued in 1990 considering the HNDA course as an alternative qualification to B.Com degree was nullified by the P.A. circular no. 10/2014 in the last year. 

Disappointments have been occurred among those diploma holders as the demand from the private sector job opportunities have also been reduced taking this as a precedent.
 
As about 23,500 students from 142,000 students who qualify for University entrance are being admitted to state universities many of them who have followed the commerce stream tend to join the HNDA course annually. 

Considering the above fact the proposal made by Lakshman Kiriella, Minister of University Education and Highways, to re-enforce the P.A. circular 46/90 with effect from 23-04-2014, was approved by the Cabinet of Ministers on Thursday.