SB says 205 Uni lecturers sent abroad to complete PhD

May 22, 2012, 10:33 pm

By Saman Indrajith, the island

Higher Education Minister S. B. Dissanayake told Parliament yesterday that the government had sent 205 university lecturers abroad, to complete their PhD degrees, last year alone.

He said that the ministry hopes to send a similar number of lecturers abroad this year too for the same purpose.

Responding to a question raised by UNP Hambantota District MP Sajith Premadasa, the minister said that eleven doctorate degree holders who left the country, effecting a ‘brain drain’ had been brought back with the initiatives taken by his ministry.

By allowing foreign students to enroll in the local universities, the government hopes to bring up the academic level in them to international standards, he said.

The need of the hour was to increase the academic standards in local universities. Countries, which have lower levels of per capita income compared to Sri Lanka, such as Pakistan, India, Bangladesh and Nepal offer scholarships to Sri Lankan students, he said.