ALI SABRY
COLOMBO : For over seven decades, Sri Lanka has proudly upheld the principle of free education. It is a cornerstone of our social fabric, an ideal that has empowered generations, fostered upward mobility, and built the backbone of our professional class. But like all ideals, it must evolve with time and context. Clinging to outdated interpretations will only lead to stagnation, missed opportunities, and an accelerating brain drain.
Let’s be clear: no country in the world provides free tertiary education to all qualifying students. Different countries adopt different models, some offer full scholarships to top performers, others implement reasonable fee structures subsidized by the state or philanthropic endowments. Many rely on student loans or bursary systems, balancing equity with sustainability.
In Sri Lanka, we provide free education up to A/Levels for nearly every student. But when it comes to university admission, only about 15–16% of those who qualify through A/Levels are actually accommodated. What happens to the rest?
Do we ignore them? Abandon their dreams? Throw them into the streets?
In reality, many of these young people pursue education elsewhere,at private institutions or universities abroad. Their families pay dearly, draining billions in foreign exchange each year.
This is not rocket science. It is common sense.
If Sri Lanka could improve the quality and scale of its higher education sector, including both private and public institutions, we could educate more of our own, attract international students, earn foreign exchange, and position ourselves as a regional hub for knowledge and innovation.
We had this opportunity decades ago. The proposed Private Medical College in Ragama in the 1980s was tragically abandoned due to pressure from narrow-minded ideological forces. That short-sightedness has cost us dearly. Today, India, Malaysia, the UAE, China, Belarus, even Bangladesh and Nepal, have seized the opportunity we let slip through our fingers. They are now welcoming thousands of Sri Lankan students, and profiting in the process.
Meanwhile, our own institutions such as NSBM and SLIIT have proven that high-quality, self-sustaining, affordable, and job oriented education is possible right here in Sri Lanka. These universities are flourishing, producing graduates equipped for the modern job market, many of whom would not have had a chance under the traditional university system.
It is in this context that the government allowed KDU and Lyceum to establish medical faculties. This was not a betrayal of free education but a long-overdue step toward balancing national needs with individual aspirations.
So why the outrage?
Because a small but vocal group, trapped in a 1970s-style ideological echo chamber, continues to equate “free education” with the belief that only the state has the right to educate, and that education must be free for all, at all times, regardless of capacity, quality, or economic feasibility.
Ironically, many of the same senior members in government who once demanded 6% of GDP for education while in opposition, now struggle even to maintain previous allocations. Governance, as we know, is very different from making promises and demands from the opposition benches.
That is not what free education means.
True free education means providing every child with a fair start. But it also means giving society the freedom to educate, innovate, and grow. While we must preserve and strengthen our state university system, we must also open the doors for complementary private initiatives, subject to rigorous quality standards and proper regulation.
Let us not repeat the mistakes of the past.
Shutting down new opportunities is not a victory for social justice. It is a step backward, one that may take generations to correct. We must learn from other countries that have integrated public and private education systems successfully, often with better outcomes for both students and society.
Let us be bold. Let us be sensible. Let us do justice to our youth, not only by protecting their right to education, but by creating more avenues for them to learn, grow, and lead.
The choice is ours: move forward with vision, or stay trapped in the ghosts of yesterday.
I hope the government and relevant authorities will re-examine this ill-conceived decision. Instead of scuttling the progress of Sri Lanka’s forward march in higher education, rightfully led by wider sectors of the country, not just the state, it is time they encourage and facilitate the next phase of transformation.
I hope saner counsel will prevail, sooner rather than later! ( The writer was the foreign minister in Sri Lanka )
