NEDA - National Engineering Diplomates' Association , unity of NDT,HNDE & NDES Alumni jointly request from authorities to convert National Engineering Diplomas to BEng Degree program.

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His Excellency,

Gotabaya Rajapaksa,

President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka,

President Secretariat,

Colombo.

Honorable Sir,

Request for direct Intervention to convert NDT, HNDE and NDES Engineering diploma programs into degree programs

We, The National Engineering Diplomates Association (NEDA), wish to draw your attention to provide sustainable solutions for following issues faced by the engineering diploma holders in Sri Lanka at present due newly introduced education trends and resultant rapid dynamics of the industry.

• National Diploma in Technology (NDT- 3yrs), National Diploma in Engineering Sciences (NDES - 4yrs) and Higher National Diploma in Engineering (HNDE - 31/2 yrs) are the engineering Diploma programs which have produced more than 40,000 Engineering Diplomates to the country over a few decades.
• The students who enrolled for these three programs are those who have passed out from A/L mathematics (Science) stream and missed the entrance to the engineering faculties by a small margin, and eligible to register for physical science degrees.
• The diplomates who passed out, serve from Engineering Assistant, Assistant Engineer or Superintendent level beyond the executive levels based on their performance and career development in both public and private sector. Further all of them are eligible to register in Engineering Council Sri Lanka, Act, No. 4 of 2017 under the two categories “Incorporated Engineer” and “Engineering Diplomate ” through Institution of Incorporated Engineers, Sri Lanka (IIESL) established by the Institution of Incorporated Engineers of Sri Lanka (Incorporation) Act, No. 64 of 1992 which is the recognized professional body for all the 3-year engineering diploma programs.
• The Engineering Council of Sri Lanka has recognized another category “Affiliate Engineer” to register for 3-years fulltime degree holders through the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka (IESL) established by the Institution of Engineers, Sri Lanka Act, No.17 of 1968. IESL recognizes the degree holders from technology faculties who do not have mathematics background at GCE A/L and currently offers that position for 3-years engineering degree holders from foreign universities after conducting an evaluation.
• NEDA believes that the balance of the roles of engineering professionals which lasted so far without discriminations is disturbed with the creation of Affiliate Engineer which should be more or less in par with the Engineering Diplomate category. The Category of Affiliate engineer is not practiced by other countries.
• Further, NEDA believes not granting the due recognition & positioning the engineering diploma holders under the ECSL act with respect to their basic qualification, which is 3 passes at GCE A/L in mathematic stream, the content of the courses and the duration (3+ years) is a serious error in the system .
• The present government has promised as a policy for all qualified students to provide an opportunity to earn a degree from state sector universities as mentioned in the section “University and Higher Vocational Education” in Page number 21 of the “Vistas of Prosperity and Splendor” manifesto.
• NEDA believes it is the right time for the government to exercise reasonable powers in converting these three engineering diploma programs into degrees, under UGC. This can be achieved with almost no cost and with minimum changes to the course contents. Further such conversions will facilitate the diploma programs to be accredited by “Sydney Accord” in the global context allowing the graduates of the three programs to practice as “Incorporated Engineer” in the countries which are signatories to the Sydney Accord, enabling an increase in the foreign exchange.
• Further, NEDA believes, repositioning the diploma programs as degrees would lead to negate the abnormally introduced professional level category “Affiliate Engineer” which is thought be introduced to undermine the professional level of Incorporated Engineer by IESL with the hidden agenda of degrading the members IIESL to “Dublin Accord” recognition.
• Additionally, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Diplomates have been serving for the state, non-state and private institutions before the year 2017 are being harassed by invisible hands of IESL, who are in the Salary Carder Commission, the Public Service Commission, the Labour Commission and the Management Services Department. As per our understanding it is the part and parcel of the main problem.

By considering all the above facts, NEDA respectfully request His Excellency to intervene to rectify the unjust happening of the three diploma programs by converting these NDT, HNDE and NDES Engineering diploma programs into Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) degree programs as earliest possible.

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National Engineering Diplomates’ Association. (NEDA)

Unity of NDT/ HNDE/ NDES Alumni

Email – thenedasrilanka@gmail.com