General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) ( Sinhala: ජෙනරාල් ශ්රිමත් ජෝන් කොතලාවල ආරක්ෂක විශ්ව විද්යාලය ''General Sir John Kotelawala'' ''Arakshaka'' ''Vishva'' ''Vidyalaya'') located at Kandawala,
Ratmalana
Ratmalana is a suburb in Colombo District, Western Province, Sri Lanka. It is inside the administration boundary of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council. Ratmalana is situated 14.6 km south of Colombo city centre. Ratmalana Airport loca ...
,
Colombo
Colombo, ( ; , ; , ), is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the ...
, is the state defense
university
A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
of
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
which is administered by the
Ministry of Defense
A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and military forces, found in states where the government is divided ...
.
The General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy was established in 1980 by the ''Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy Act, No. 68 of 1981'' as the joint defence service training institute of the
Sri Lankan Armed Forces
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...
, where cadets of the three services,
Sri Lanka Army
The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...
,
Sri Lanka Navy
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...
and
Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...
undergo academic training together before they go on to respective service academy for further pre-commission training. It was named after General Sir
John Kotelawala
General (Sri Lanka), General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala (; 4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956.
Born to a wealthy landholding and mining f ...
, third
Prime Minister of Ceylon
The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...
who donated his home for the academy. It was made a university by an amendment bill passed in Parliament on 11 October 2007 which enabled both military and civilian students to be admitted.
History
The General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (the Defence University of Sri Lanka) was inaugurated on 11 October 1980 on a estate donated by the late General Sir
John Kotelawala
General (Sri Lanka), General Sir John Lionel Kotelawala (; 4 April 1897 – 2 October 1980) was a Sri Lankan statesman, who served as the 3rd Prime Minister of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from 1953 to 1956.
Born to a wealthy landholding and mining f ...
KBE
KBE may refer to:
* Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, post-nominal letters
* Knowledge-based engineering
Knowledge-based engineering (KBE) is the application of knowledge-based systems technology to the domain o ...
Prime Minister of Ceylon
The prime minister of Sri Lanka, officially the prime minister of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is the most senior member of parliament in the cabinet of ministers. It is the second-most powerful position in Sri Lanka's exec ...
. The KDU functions under the motto ''For The Motherland Forever'', a dictum followed by General Sir John Kotelawala himself.
The KDA was instituted with the objective of educating males and females to be commissioned officers in the armed forces of Sri Lanka. It has been legally established under the ''Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy Act No. 68 of 1981'' and is governed by a Board of Management consisting of the Secretary of the Defence as the chairman, Commanders of the tri-services, representatives of the University Grant Commission and the General Treasury, and the Commandant of the academy as members.
From 1980 to 1986, Service Officer Cadets temporarily studied engineering and physical science at the
University of Colombo
The University of Colombo (informally Colombo University or UoC) is a Public University, public research university located primarily in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is the oldest institution of modern higher education in Sri Lanka. Specialised in t ...
and
University of Moratuwa
The University of Moratuwa (also referred as Moratuwa University) ( ''Moraṭuwa Wiśwawidyālaya'', ) is a public university in Sri Lanka. It is located on the bank of the Bolgoda Lake in Katubedda, Moratuwa, a suburb of Sri Lanka's capital C ...
, and they were awarded the degree by the same universities. In 1988, KDA was elevated to university status subsequent to proposal made to the then government headed by the President
J.R. Jayewardene
Junius Richard Jayewardene (; ; 17 September 1906 – 1 November 1996), commonly referred to by his initials JR, was a Sri Lankan lawyer, public official and statesman who served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1977 to 1978 and as the secon ...
, thus enabling KDA to offer degrees in Defence Studies.
An amendment bill was passed in Parliament on 18 March 2007 granting the status of a national university to the KDA. On 11 October 2007 KDA was renamed as the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.
KDU opened its southern campus at Sooriyawewa, Sri Lanka on 5 May 2015.
The opening of the University Hospital of General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University was held on 21 May 2017. KDU become first university in Sri Lanka, running its own
University Hospital
A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...
with modern facilities. The university hospital provide medical services to general public and service personnel free of charge.
In 2018, parliament of Sri Lanka passed the'' General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (Special Provisions) Act''https://www.srilankalaw.lk/gazette/2018_pdf/17-2018_E.pdf to abolish medical faculty of South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine and to transfer the students to General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. It is a member of the
Association of Commonwealth Universities
The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a charitable organization that was established in 1913, and has over 400 member institutions in over 40 countries across the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth.governing structure of the KDU. Controversially, the proposed Bill placed KDU management under the Defence Ministry, with a senior officer of the armed services serving as the president or
vice-chancellor
A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...
, rather than under the Ministry of Higher Education, as is the norm. This bill has been challenged by several groups including
scholars
A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...
and university students that have claimed the move could lead to
privatization
Privatization (rendered privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation w ...
and
militarization
Militarization, or militarisation, is the process by which a society organizes itself for military conflict and violence. It is related to militarism, which is an ideology that reflects the level of militarization of a state. The process of mil ...
of the higher education in Sri Lanka. It has been claimed that the bill would allow the KDU to continue function independent of the University Grants Commission and it will excludes the KDU from the purview of the UGC per its funding ''Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy Act, No. 68 of 1981''. These groups further claim that any university that intends to offer civil education should not function without UGC control and quality assurance. For example, Article 15 2 (1) of the Bill explicitly specifies that the KDU is formed outside of the jurisdiction of the UGC Act No. 16 of 1978. As a result, unlike other state universities and higher education institutes in Sri Lanka that are governed by the UGC, KDU has the authority to regulate itself. In actuality, the KDU statute legalizes a full parallel military administration structure for civil higher education purposes with autonomy.
Academic wing
The KDU is the only public university in Sri Lanka offering Bachelor of Science in Degrees in Marine Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering.
The degree courses at the KDU run for two to five years. The officer cadets follow a course of study from the fields of medicine, law, engineering, management and technical sciences, commerce or arts. At the end of the second year, the officer cadets (other than the Engineering cadets and who stay to complete their third-year studies) are sent to their military academies (
Sri Lanka Military Academy
The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the oldest military academy in Sri Lanka, and trains commissioned officers for the Sri Lanka Army. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatal ...
,
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...
;
Naval and Maritime Academy
Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga.
History
The Sri ...
,
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...
;
Air Force Academy
An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...
,
SLAF China Bay SLAF may refer to
*The Sri Lanka Armed Forces, the combined military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
**The Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed ...
).
Since 2010 the university was opened for non-military students under a payment scheme. These students are allowed to enjoy the academic and other facilities that were available for cadets before. They have to wear a uniform when in attendance. Scholarships are awarded for children from Ranaviru (Veternat) families and police.
Academic work is conducted under the direction of the Board of Studies and Board of Management by the Director of Academic Studies. There are eight academic departments. Each department consist of a Head of the department, internal/visiting staff, and the library.
Faculties
*Faculty of Defence Studies and Strategic Studies
*Faculty of Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Aeronautical Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Aircraft Maintenance Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Biomedical Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Civil Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Electrical & Electronic Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Electronics & Telecommunication Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Marine Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Mechatronic Engineering
*Faculty of Graduate Studies
**
PhD
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...
/
MPhil
A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...
**
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
(Defence Studies) in Management
**
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
in Information Technology
**
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
in
Logistics Management
Logistics is the part of supply chain management that deals with the efficient forward and reverse flow of goods, services, and related information from the point of origin to the point of consumption according to the needs of customers. Logi ...
**
Master of Business Administration
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) is a professional degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration; elective courses may allow further study in a particular ...
in
E-governance
Electronic governance or e-governance is the use of information technology to provide government services, information exchange, communication transactions, and integration of different stand-alone systems between government to citizen (G2C), ...
*Faculty of Law
**Bachelor of Laws
*Faculty of Management, Social Sciences and Humanities
**Bachelor of Science in Logistics Management
**Bachelor of Science in Management and Technical Sciences
**Bachelor of Science in Social Sciences
*Faculty of Medicine
**
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery
A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education trad ...
*Faculty of Allied Health Sciences
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Physiotherapy
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Nursing
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Radiography
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Radiotherapy
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Medical Laboratory Sciences
**Bachelor of Pharmacy
*Faculty of Computing
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computer Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Computer Science
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Software Engineering
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Technology
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Information Systems
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Data Science and Business Analytics.
*Faculty of Built Environment and Spatial Sciences
**Bachelor of Architecture
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Built Environment
**Bachelor of Science in Built Environment
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Quantity Surveying
**Bachelor of Science in Spatial Science
**Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Spatial Science
*Faculty of Technology
**Bachelor of engineering technology honors construction technology
**Bachelor of engineering technology honors building service technology
**Bachelor of engineering technology honors bio medical technology
**Bachelor of technology honors information and communication technology
Accredited institutions
Following institutions have been accredited to the KDU to conduct academic programs;
*
National Defence College, Sri Lanka
The National Defence College, located in Colombo, is the defence service training institute and highest seat of strategic learning for officers of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, Sri Lanka Police and the Public Services. This is a very prestigiou ...
- Master of Science, for the successful participants of the National Defence and Strategic Study Course (ndc).
*
Defence Services Command and Staff College
The Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) is situated at Batalanda, Makola (South) 12 Kilometers away from Colombo and its aim to develop the professional knowledge and understanding of experienced officers of the Sri Lanka Army, Sr ...
- Master of Science in Defence and Strategic Studies, for the successful participants of the Defence Services Command and Staff Course (psc).
* Army School of Logistics - Master of Business Administration in Logistics Management, for the successful participants of the Logistics Staff Course (LSC).
*
Naval and Maritime Academy
Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga.
History
The Sri ...
- Master of Business Administration in Logistics Management, for the successful participants of the Long Logistics Management Course (LLMC).
*
Naval and Maritime Academy
Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga.
History
The Sri ...
- Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management, for the successful participants of the Junior Naval Staff Course.
* Sri Lanka Air Force Junior Command & Staff College - Post Graduate Diploma in Defence Management, for the successful participants of the Junior Command and Staff Course.
*
Sri Lanka Military Academy
The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the oldest military academy in Sri Lanka, and trains commissioned officers for the Sri Lanka Army. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatal ...
- Bachelor of Science in Military Studies, for the successful participants of the Regular Long Course (Commissioning Course).
Commandants and vice chancellors
KDA was renamed as KDU in year 2007 and until such time chief executive officer was the Commandant. However, in 2007 after renaming as Kotelawala Defence University, Vice Chancellor is the Chief Executive of the university.
List of commandants and vice chancellors are as follows:
Notable alumni
* Yohani de Silva - Singer
* Admiral Priyantha Perera - 25th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy
* Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksha - 19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force
*Rear Admiral HGU Dammika Kumara - 5th Vice Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defense University
See also
*
Education in Sri Lanka
Education in Sri Lanka has a long history that dates back two millennia. While the Constitution of Sri Lanka does not provide free education as a fundamental right, the constitution mentions that 'the complete eradication of illiteracy and the ...
*
Military of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Th ...