The Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) is a national university in Sri Lanka. It is unique within the Sri Lankan national university system for being the only university to offer programmes of study leading to certificate, diploma, degree, postgraduate diploma and postgraduate degree through the Distance Mode/ Learning. OUSL's academic programs enable students to combine theoretical study with meaningful real-world learning experiences. The OUSL Main Campus is located in Colombo in Nawala, Nugegoda. The concept of establishing the Open University of Sri Lanka was by Dr Nissanka Wijeyeratne the Cabinet Minister of Education & Higher Education at the time. The University was set up by the Government of Sri Lanka under the Universities Act No. 16 of 1978, for the purpose of providing higher educational opportunities to working adults - providing them the road to success, surpassing age, vocation, gender, race, ethnicity and religion. The university policy on admission would enable a person to register at the lowest 'Level' with mere basic literacy and then climb up to postgraduate level.