Press briefing of Cabinet Decision taken on 2018-03-27

Presenting the Draft Bill of the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University to Parliament

The General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy established in terms of the Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy Act, No.68 of 1981, as amended by Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (Amendment) Act, No.27 of 1988, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (Amendment) Act, No.30 of 1990 and Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (Amendment) Act, No.50 of 2007, functions as a Defence University which provides Academically, Professionally qualified Military Officers to the Tri Forces and higher education opportunities to local and foreign students. Approval of the Cabinet has been granted to repeal the above Acts and to enact a new Act namely, the General Sir John Kotelawala National Defence University, to further expand the academic activities of the University and to enhance its functions and the mission as a National Defence University. As such, the proposal made by H.E. the President Maithripala Sirisena, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, to publish the Draft Bill so formulated in the Government Gazette and to present same subsequently, in Parliament for approval, was approved by the Cabinet.