In recent times Sri Lanka has been undergoing a whole host of changes across many sectors that are dramatically altering the face of the island nation. As part of this stream of developments, a number of TNE institutes in the country, many of which are partners of UK universities have established the Sri Lanka Association of Non State Higher Education Institutions (SLANSHEI) , an organisation that aspires to improve the quality of private higher education delivered in the country.

The founder president of the organisation Prof. Lalith Gamage highlights the crucial beneifts that an organisation of this nature will provide to an emerging success story like Sri Lanka. The main vision of SLANSHEI is to provide high quality, relevant higher educational services to a wide cross section of Sri Lankan society. The group will set up a forum for the exchange of ideas and knowledge to develop initiatives that should be implemented in the sector as well as address any new and exisiting problems surrounding the private higher education industry at large.

SLANSHEI represents an important step towards improving the quality and reliability of private higher education in Sri Lanka. Eligibility for full membership in the organisation requires the fulfilment of stringent criteria including a minimum investment of Rs 100 million LKR, a current student body of 300 undergraduate or postgraduate students, a minimum of 5 full-time academic staff with PhD qualifications, an organisational existence of 3 years minimum and the ability to submit audited financial statements. In a Higher Education environment where foreign universities are looking to partner with local institutes, an organisation like SLANSHEI provides them with a quick link to identify education institutes in Sri Lanka that have the resources, commitment and prior success to be an attractive partner. This will allow foreign awarding bodies to lower the risk of entering the Sri Lankan market with a local partner.

Moreover, SLANSHEI is committed towards working closely with the government to enhance Sri Lanka's human resource pool that employers are able to draw from, by providing quality education and skill programmes that will increase the overall employability of Sri Lanka's youth. Prospective member institutions, as well as existing members will be expected to satisfy strict quality assurance criteria in order to maintain a standard of public service that embodies reliability, diversity and high quality.

It is a key aim of the organisation to use their objectives as a platform from which to introduce Sri Lanka's educational sector to the global educational marketplace; a move that will encourage not only a rise in the awareness of Sri Lanka as an emerging educational destination for foreign students, but will also promote an influx of foreign investment into educational opportunities in the region. Alongside this, Prof. Gamage has reiterated SLANSHEI's commitment to award a minimum of 50 scholarships through member institutions, a figure that is likely to increase in the future.

SLANSHEI is a welcome addition to Sri Lanka’s TNE sector and represents an admirable effort by members of the sector to define vital quality indicators. In a sector that has demonstrated significant and dynamic growth, associations such as SLANSHEI suggest that after substantial growth in the volume of students engaged in a foreign higher education qualification, there is now also a commendable emphasis on quality.

To know more about SLANSHEI OR the Sri Lankan higher education market, please write to Chamath Peiris, Manager Higher Education and Education Services at Chamath.Peiris@britishcouncil.org