By: Isuru Parakrama
July 06, Colombo (LNW): Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has sharply criticised the Government’s reversal on the MBBS programme admission policy, accusing Cabinet ministers of causing needless confusion and distress amongst students and families.
In a strongly worded statement published on his official X platform, Premadasa pointed to what he described as a chaotic and short-sighted approach to education policy.
“After weeks of hurling insults at the Opposition the Cabinet has now slammed the reverse gear and reopened applications to Sri Lankan day-scholars for the MBBS programme,” he wrote.
He highlighted the human cost of the initial decision to halt admissions for local students, stating that “hundreds of qualified students were left in limbo, scrambling for foreign placements, filing fundamental-rights petitions, and spending money their families could barely spare.”
Premadasa also underscored the emotional toll on parents, who he said were left facing uncertainty for weeks. “Parents endured a month of anxiety, not knowing whether to pay overseas deposits or wait for a government that kept moving the goalposts,” he added.
The Opposition Leader criticised ministers for wasting valuable parliamentary time defending a policy that was eventually reversed, arguing that such flip-flopping undermines public trust. “Education decisions shape lives and careers. When policy is drafted on the back of an envelope and shredded at will, young people lose faith in the system,” he said.
Calling for greater responsibility and clarity in policy-making, Premadasa concluded: “If the Government truly does not know what they are doing, or [is] stuck in indecision, at least don’t export that uncertainty to its people.”
After weeks of hurling insults at the Opposition the Cabinet has now slammed the reverse gear and reopened applications to Sri Lankan day-scholars for the MBBS programme.
— Sajith Premadasa (@sajithpremadasa) July 6, 2025
What happened in the meantime?
Hundreds of qualified students were left in limbo, scrambling for foreign… https://t.co/nRrax2If9T
