Sri Lanka should allow international universities: Bandula

• Says move could save over $ 2 b per annum
• Claims around 30,000 students leave for higher education annually 

Sri Lanka must allow internationally recognised universities to be established via an all-party consensus, as it would save up to $ 2 billion foreign exchange outflow, Cabinet Co-Spokesman and Minister Bandula Gunawardana said yesterday.

He said around 30,000 students annually leave the country for higher education purposes, adding that these include not so developed countries.

“The foreign currency outflow is around $ 2 billion. This could be through official and Undiyal systems,” he told journalists at the post-Cabinet meeting media briefing held yesterday.

Minister Gunawardena also said that as a former Education Minister, an all-party consensus must be reached to pave the way for foreign universities to be established in Sri Lanka, which will also open opportunities for students from countries such as India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, and the Maldives to enrol in Sri Lanka.

Minister Gunawardana said such new ventures will help generate foreign exchange, whilst also preventing brain drain and boosting Sri Lanka as a global education hub.

When asked if the Government has taken steps to justify the disadvantages faced by students due to the COVID pandemic, he said Education Minister Susil Premajayantha and officials took several measures to ensure that students sitting examinations are not at a disadvantage owing to the failure to cover the syllabus.