The government has taken the initial step of selling degrees for money by quantitatively curtailing the number of students able to enter into the national university system, the United National Party accuses.
Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva had stated at parliament that around 1000 foreign student will be afforded the chance to enter the country’s universities from next year for a fee, UNP MP Tissa Attanayake mentioned.
Even though out of the 150,000 or so students sitting for A/L exams each year 50,000-55,000 are qualified to receive higher education only around 22,000-25,000 of them are provided with the opportunity to enter Sri Lanka’s universities, he pointed out.
“Hence providing 1000 foreign students with university education in the country means that 5% of eligible Sri Lankan students will lose their right to that education.”
