‘Set up your Universities in Sri Lanka, we will help you’

Minister S. B. Dissanayake

March 17, 2012, 5:33 pm , The Island.


By Steve A. Morrell

Minister of Higher Education, S. B. Dissanayake said the Sri Lankan Government would encourage Universities in Britain to establish their seats of learning in Sri Lanka. This possibility would be within Education policy of the Government to eventually establish Sri Lanka as a Regional education hub in Asia.

"We will help you. The British Council here has already moved forward to conduct exams and allied courses in English to enrich our students on use of English ", he said at the British Council’s 19th Annual Education UK Exhibition, where he was the chief guest on Friday.

Inauguration of the three day exhibition attracted students and post tertiary educated persons intending to pursue further studies in the UK or in Sri lanka.

Country Director, The British Council, in Sri Lanka, Tony Reilly, in a brief note of welcome said the Minister’s vision to change the landscape for Higher Education in Sri Lanka was clearly set out for the future of education here. 56 Universities from The UK were represented at the Exhibition; suggesting wide choices for opportunities that could encourage students to select subjects best suited for their future.

The British Council’s ‘ Going Global’ International conference, to be held next week in London, would be a forum that would attract over 1000 delegates . The Minister would represent Sri Lanka. ‘ I would look forward to meeting you there’, Tony Reilly said.

Opportunities offered would broad base employability and such qualification would ensure suitable job placings.

The International Conference would present Government’s plans to establish Sri Lanka as a regional educational hub and will address a global audience of top level higher education stake holders.

Manager International Higher Education, The British Council, Niroshi Siriwansa, and Manager Marketing and communications, Randima Jayasinghe, said organization for this event started in June last year, and since then clinical placing of various structures had to be decided and in place well before the event.’ What you see this morning is the culmination of hard work ‘

Senior Lecturer in Sport & Event Management, Ian Webster, of the Coventry University, and International Officer, South & South East Asia, Coventry University, Kevin Dunn, talking to the ‘The Island’, said the course fee including duration, and choice of study would cost about Rs. 1.5 million.

Reiterating this figure was barely an assessment that could vary, more or less, would be each student’s commitment. They further said there were allied alternatives that included study in Sri Lanka, conducted by the University, equally valuable for academic qualification. Additionally, distance learning was also available based on modules and connected costs which were more cost effective and equally valuable. Choices were varied and quite substantial they said.

There were other scatological focuses that were also important. For instance educational tourism, and Sport tourism. For instance in about two weeks when the English cricket team tours Sri Lanka, people from the UK who would be here to watch and numbers in arrivals not be insignificant .

Sri Lanka in its present atmosphere of openness could benefit from opportunities that would come its way.