The Government is considering introducing a regulatory framework for the private education sector in a move that signals a major shift in national education policy.
This development comes amid increasing pressure to stem the outflow of students and finances to foreign institutions, improve the quality of local private education offerings, and address deep-rooted structural flaws in the country’s public education system.
Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Madhura Senevirathna and Opposition Member of Parliament (MP) and Ministerial Consultative Committee on Education member Rohini Wijeratne Kavirathna have both called for urgent reforms, albeit from different ideological stances. However, both converge on one central point: the unregulated private education space needs coherent policy and robust oversight.
A bleeding system
For years, Sri Lanka has grappled with limited higher education opportunities, pushing thousands of students to pursue studies overseas, often at significant financial cost to families and the nation.
“About 65% of qualifying students are absorbed into the State education sector. The rest either go into vocational education or study abroad,” said Dr. Senevirathna. “We are working on bridging this gap.”
However, merely expanding State university capacity is no longer enough. With less than 4% of students gaining entry to State universities after their Advanced Level exam, the pressure on alternative education streams has grown exponentially.
In this vacuum, private education institutions, ranging from international schools to unregulated degree-awarding entities, have proliferated. While they serve a critical need, they often operate without any meaningful oversight.
“There is currently no regulatory authority overseeing private universities or even international schools, despite the large number of students they educate,” noted MP Kavirathna.
“Education is treated as a commercial venture in Sri Lanka, with institutions merely registering as businesses. This unregulated environment raises serious concerns about quality and standards. If we are to support private education in Sri Lanka, we must ensure it operates within a clearly defined and regulated space,” she said.
Private sector’s double-edged role
Private education has long been viewed with suspicion by sections of the Sri Lankan polity, yet for many middle-income and upper-middle-income families, it is the only viable alternative.
Kavirathna noted: “Promoting private education domestically is not a negative trend. It helps us retain valuable financial resources and ensures access to education for a larger segment of our youth. Sending students abroad involves a colossal amount of spending, all of which drain out our currency reserves.”
Drawing comparisons with regional neighbours, she pointed out how Malaysia strategically allocated 500 acres for the development of private universities and transformed education into a national revenue stream.
“Today, Malaysia has transformed into a major educational hub and many students, including Sri Lankans, travel there for studies. These students have to live there and therefore bring a tremendous amount of financial resources to Malaysia, thereby significantly contributing to the nation’s economic growth,” she said.
Similarly, India’s targeted expansion of medical and technical education for both domestic and international markets has been instrumental in generating skilled professionals and foreign remittances.
“India strategically made a decision to export sufficient doctors to cater to the global demand for medical professionals. India already has its medical degrees recognised in the UK and Australia, which is a unique selling point,” Kavirathna noted, adding: “If India can train and export doctors, we can certainly train and export qualified professionals. A regulated private education system could play a key role in achieving that goal.”
“Many developed nations advertise professions facing a shortage in their countries. In this day and age, there is a great demand for nurses and the Philippines is supplying nurses to the world whereas other countries have not adequately contributed to minimising the global shortage,” she said.
Dr. Senevirathna echoed this sentiment, noting that there was a high demand for Sri Lankan skills internationally and that a national skills strategy was in the works. He added: “We are tailoring new training programmes and expanding access in areas like CPR training, mathematics, and production line management to match local and global labour market needs.”
Oversight and quality assurance
One of the major criticisms levelled against private institutions is the absence of quality control. Currently, there is no independent body tasked with vetting or evaluating the degrees awarded by private universities or assessing their curricula against national or international standards.
“Anyone with a BEd can become a teacher with minimal hurdles, but others have to go through multiple exams,” Kavirathna said, highlighting disparities in teacher recruitment. “Our recent analysis showed that most of the newly recruited teachers were from private universities, not State ones. Yet there is no system to monitor the quality of these degrees.”
Dr. Senevirathna acknowledged this gap and said that the Government was taking a cautious approach to expanding private institutions. “We are not expanding them arbitrarily. Instead, we are focused on regulating and monitoring private education to maintain standards,” he stated.
This regulatory push may involve formalising an accreditation framework, strengthening the role of the Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework (SLQF), and ensuring that degree-awarding institutions are subject to the same scrutiny applied to public institutions.
However, Dr. Senevirathna did not confirm whether the policies he spoke of were currently in practice. He hinted, nevertheless, that the above approach to regulating the private education space would be enforced in the coming days.
On the other hand, MP Kavirathna insisted that the private education space, which remained without regulation, was desperately in need of regulation in order to ensure consistency and quality.
When the question was raised before University Grants Commission (UGC) Chairman Prof. Kapila Seneviratne, he said that the commission did not oversee private educational institutes. “The UGC is a State entity, and our role is to monitor and observe the activity of State universities and students in State universities. This role has neither been expanded nor changed in recent times,” he said.
Mental health and systemic strain
Beyond access and quality, mental health in the education system is another under-addressed issue that underscores the urgency of reform. Sri Lanka’s rigid exam-oriented system has long been criticised for placing overwhelming pressure on students.
“There is a growing crisis of student stress and depression,” said Kavirathna. “We have had multiple suicides, both in State and private schools, yet there are no qualified counsellors in most schools.”
Since 2015, Kavirathna has advocated for a policy requiring one trained school counsellor per 500 students. “Just last week, I reiterated this proposal to the Prime Minister,” she said. “We have emerged from a brutal war and many are still dealing with its psychological aftermath. We need trained professionals in schools and universities.”
While Dr. Senevirathna did not directly address mental health, his emphasis on broadening educational choices and reducing academic pressure indirectly supports the need for structural easing. By shifting from a high-stakes testing culture to a more diversified education model, the burden on students can be reduced.
A blueprint for reform
Both Kavirathna and Dr. Senevirathna agree that the answer lies in strategic, well-regulated expansion. However, that expansion must be accompanied by transparency, investment in research, professional development, and infrastructure.
“We must start from preschool and continue through to tertiary education,” said Kavirathna.
“Education should not merely serve to impart knowledge, but should empower individuals to build meaningful livelihoods and contribute positively to society. Our education system should not be condemned to impart mere knowledge without purpose using an outdated structure. Education must enable scholars to uplift their own lives and the lives of others,” she added.
Dr. Senevirathna added that cultural attitudes also needed to shift. “There is still a preference for white-collar jobs, even though vocational paths offer good income and career prospects. Our approach is to create a more diverse array of opportunities.”
Looking ahead
As Sri Lanka navigates this turning point in its educational journey, the stakes are high. Poorly implemented reforms could undermine public trust and lead to further fragmentation. Conversely, a well-regulated private education sector – complementing a strengthened State system – could become a cornerstone of national development.
“The issue isn’t whether private education is good or bad,” said Kavirathna. “It’s about whether it serves the public interest. And that is why we must regulate it.”
In the coming months, all eyes will be on the Ministry of Education and Parliament as they deliberate on a regulatory framework that could determine the future trajectory of education in Sri Lanka.
With consensus slowly building across political lines, the groundwork for reform is finally being laid. But as always, the challenge lies not just in the policies themselves, but in the will and capacity to implement them as well.