NPP MP Kaushalya Ariyaratne admits on national TV that barring Sri Lankan students from Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) violated fundamental rights. She explains how past decisions overlooked local students’ access to military education in Sri Lanka.
The decision to restrict admissions to the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) exclusively to military students was later understood to be a violation of fundamental rights, according to National People’s Power (NPP) MP Kaushalya Ariyaratne.
Speaking on the national television program Karata Kara, Ariyaratne, who is also a lawyer, acknowledged that the original intent of the NPP-led administration was to transform KDU into a premier South Asian institution focused solely on military training.
“Our government’s objective was to make the Kotelawala Defence University an institution where military training could be received in South Asia,” she said. “To make it a good institution that would attract international military students. That is why a condition was placed on it that only military students would be admitted.”
However, she admitted that this policy unintentionally harmed local students aspiring to pursue higher education within Sri Lanka.
“We later realized that this would be a great injustice to those pursuing local degrees within Sri Lanka,” Ariyaratne stated.
Highlighting the contradiction in policy, she noted that foreign students are able to enroll in KDU through international exams, yet Sri Lankans were denied the same opportunity despite their proximity and eligibility.
“When it is possible to join KDU by taking exams from abroad, not giving a Sri Lankan the opportunity to pursue a degree there is injustice even in terms of fundamental rights,” she added.
Her candid admission has sparked renewed public interest in access to military-linked higher education and raised questions about equity, national priorities, and educational policy direction in Sri Lanka.
