The University of Sri Jayewardenepura and Sri Lanka Police signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to offer a degree to Police officers above the rank of Inspector of Sri Lanka police. The MoU was signed recently at the Public Security Ministry between Public Security Minister Tiran Alles and University of Sri Jayewardenepura Chancellor Sudantha Liyanage. University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Sampath Amaratunge and Police Inspector General C.D. Wickramaratne graced the occasion. Expressing his views, IGP Wickramaratne said the Police had been trying to introduce a programme of this nature for more than 30 years and was able to finally go ahead thanks to Prof. Amaratunge and the University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

The programme is a three-year Bachelors of Arts in Applied Police Studies, as per Sri Lanka Qualification Framework Level 5. Accordingly 150 Officers of Inspector Grade and Officers of Assistant Superintendent of Police would get the opportunity to read for this programme, every year. This degree programme would be conducted in English medium and would be held at the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, the University of Sri Lanka in Attidiya and the Sri Lanka Police College in Kalutara. Opportunities to read for the programme as an external degree course on weekends would also be available, and lectures and exams would be scheduled at the Police training schools.-SJA