The CICRA has pioneered introducing a lesson on the self-regulatory mechanism with major reference to newspaper industry appointed Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka (PCCSL) in the university curricula in the country.

The lesson titled ‘Press Complaints Commission of Sri Lanka’ has been accepted by the Open University of Sri Lanka (OUSL) as part of the reading material for the compulsory module on ‘Socio-Legal Perspective in Communication’ in the BA in Social Sciences Program from 2006.

Providing extensive information to Mass Communication students, the lesson deals with historical perspective on self-regulation in the Sri Lankan context, concept of ‘self-regulation’, functionality of the Dispute Resolution Council and the Secretariat of the PCCSL, methods of dispute resolution, remedies, Code of Ethics Review Committee, advantages and disadvantages of the self-regulation and the conflict between the state regulation and co-regulation vs. state regulation.

The lesson makes clear that state regulation intervenes with the freedom of expression and effective self-regulation of the media industry supports national development through free flow of information.

The OUSL is the largest university in Sri Lanka in terms of student population covering all parts of the country and the regional infrastructure. The university provides quality distance education for an affordable fee to Sri Lankans around the country.