Sri Lanka: Ministry of Higher Education identifies 4 sectors for development

The Ministry of Higher Education has identified 4 key areas that they plan to develop and address issues, in order to uplift the state university sector in Sri Lanka.

The key areas include;
• Student intake and admission
• Quality Assurance & Accreditation
• Graduate employability
• Research & Development

The ministry has introduced new faculties and courses including technology faculties in a bid to increase student intake. With an increased intake of 2,000 students per year from 2016 onwards, it plans to see a 100 per cent increase in the entire state university sector in 2020.

The University Grants Commission has also set up a Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council (QAAC) in order to set out guidelines that are required of all higher education providers in Sri Lanka. The QAAC will assure quality of these institutes and accredit its courses, acting as an independent body.

In order to cater to the growing job market, the universities are now looking to develop several sectors including Technology, Art and Humanities and Social Sciences and its courses to include soft skills, computer skills and leadership skills. The government believes that this will assist in addressing the issue of graduate unemployability and prepare future graduates to the needs of the job market.

The government has allocated Rs. 1 billion (approximately GBP 4.6 million) towards Research and Development, in a bid to enhance international recognition of state sector universities.

In line with the government’s vision of transforming Sri Lanka into a ‘hub of excellence for higher education by 2020’, the higher education sector has seen many developments in the recent past. As the Transnational Education sector continues to see growth, the government plans to develop the state university sector in order to meet the increasing demand.

For more information on the current higher education landscape in Sri Lanka please email,

Chamath Peiris
Manager Higher Education and Education Services
Chamath.Peiris@britishcouncil.org and siemsouthasia@britishcouncil.org