TNE in Sri Lanka: operational and quality assurance landscape

The British Council is pleased to share its report on the transnational education (TNE) landscape in Sri Lanka. The report examines existing TNE provisions in the country as well as looking into the policy environment and potential for new or expanded partnerships. It dives deep to examine drivers for the growth of TNE and identify areas that need support to unblock the potential for sustainable and quality TNE development aligned with the education priorities of both nations.

The outputs of this research will help UK providers to better understand their role within Sri Lanka’s broader TNE environment as well as to support local government agencies and education providers in informed decision making to develop, support and sustain TNE in the country. The research was officially launched in Colombo on 13 August 2023 attended by the Sri Lanka Minister of Education and other national policy makers and practitioners.

In 2022-2023, Sri Lanka emerged as the second-largest host country of UK TNE students, accounting for 10% of all UK TNE enrolments globally, with a remarkable 50% increase in enrolments, totalling 53,915. This surge underscores Sri Lanka’s position as the fastest-growing country among the top ten host nations for UK TNE.
The report shows that the future outlook for TNE in the country continues to look positive, also evident from Sri Lanka’s various efforts to become a regional education hub, such as inviting foreign institutions to set up international universities in Port City Colombo.

The British Council research commissioned to the Times Higher Education UK finds that TNE is helping in meeting demand for higher education and overcoming access challenges in Sri Lanka, building local system and research capacity. It shows that TNE partnerships play an important role in equipping young students with market-relevant and soft skills along with providing international exposure which leads to better employment prospects. In addition, it delves into examining various types of TNE provision by the UK and Australia and offers suggestions for UK higher education institutions to make further improvements to their proposition and quality reputation as a leading TNE provider in Sri Lanka.

Other suggestions in the report include building a unified quality nationwide system of quality assurance by leveraging Sri Lanka’s national qualifications framework, setting up a National Information Resource Centre for better information management of TNE activity, exploring the potential for increased public-private partnerships, improving non-academic elements of TNE programmes, and expanding the relevance of interdisciplinary programmes through TNE as newer and emerging fields of study become popular.