May 10, Colombo: The Minister of Higher Education S.B. Dissanayake says the government is taking every effort to provide necessary facilities for students to pursue higher education.

The Minister says a large amount of money is being drawn out of the country as more and more students who do not get the opportunity for higher education in the country are seeking university education abroad.

Therefore, it is important to liaise with major universities overseas to set up private universities in Sri Lanka to retain those students and curb the foreign exchange outflow, the Minister points out.

Minister Dissanayake made these remarks after calling on the chief prelates of Malwaththa and Asgiriya recently.

The Minister expressed confidence that university students, political parties, and student movements will extend their support for this programme.

The Marxist party Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna affiliated student unions in Sri Lanka vehemently oppose the idea of opening private universities in the country.

Education experts point out that by not meeting the demand for higher education locally the country suffers from brain drain as the students who leave the country for higher education overseas prefer to live where they received education.

Meanwhile, the students who did not qualify to receive university education in the country and cannot afford higher education elsewhere become frustrated and under utilized, they point out.

Experts say lack of sufficient facilities to accommodate the student population for tertiary education allows the opportunity for low-quality affiliate degree programs that are not up to the international standards to thrive and scam money from the public.