Presidential hopefuls promise HE reforms, branch campuses

Several leading candidates in Sri Lanka’s upcoming presidential elections have emphasised education reform in their election manifestos, with a focus on establishing foreign branch campuses to help boost quality higher education – a notable shift in policy among some parties that previously opposed private universities in the country.

Sri Lanka is set to hold presidential elections on 21 September, a pivotal moment as the country is still recovering from the unprecedented economic and political crisis of 2022 when large-scale student-led protests ousted then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.

Rajapaksa fled to the Maldives, an Indian Ocean island chain south-west of Sri Lanka in July 2022, and then to Singapore. He returned to Sri Lanka in September the same year.

Sri Lankan students and youth played a key role in the 2022 events and continue to influence political discourse, according to political observers.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been in office since 2022 following his election by a parliamentary vote. The upcoming election marks the first presidential election since 2019, spanning a period of considerable upheaval.

A record 39 candidates are competing to be president and will appeal to nearly 17 million eligible voters.

In addition to Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP), key contenders include opposition leader Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), Anura Kumara Dissanayake, leader of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the National People’s Power (NPP) alliance, and Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) national organiser Namal Rajapaksa.

Analysts suggest that while there are four frontrunners, the race is likely to narrow down to Premadasa and Dissanayake. Other candidates may draw significant votes, but none are expected to secure the 50% majority required, a situation which could lead to additional rounds of vote counting.

Proposals for private universities

In his campaign, Dissanayake has proposed the creation of an independent regulatory body under the Ministry of Education to oversee the quality and fees of private educational institutions – a significant shift in his party's previous stance on private education.

His left-leaning party, along with the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF), strongly resisted a 2012 bill to allow private universities in Sri Lanka.

IUSF remains a vocal opponent of education privatisation, including the establishment of foreign branch campuses.

Protests against establishing private universities and medical colleges held this week on 10 September in the capital Colombo led to the arrest of IUSF convener Madhushan Chandrajith and 10 students, all of whom were later released on bail.

Chandrajith criticised all the major presidential candidates for advocating privatisation, which he claimed undermines the nation's commitment to free education.

“We need to expand free education, not sell it off,” he told University World News before his arrest, stressing the need to address inequalities in the education system.

Similarly, Medirigiriya Siridhamma Thera, convenor of the Inter University Bhikku Federation (IUBF), criticised candidates’ election manifestos for their uniform support of privatisation in education and healthcare.

“The manifestos are identical, pushing the same agenda of privatisation,” Thera said. In addition, he voiced concerns about adhering to International Monetary Fund policies and the sale of national assets.

Economic collapse and tax cuts

Despite the current Wickremesinghe government’s efforts to stabilise a collapsing economy and bolster democracy, rising support for the NPP and JVP, coupled with unresolved issues like high taxes and emigration of skilled professionals, has weakened his party’s campaign, according to political observers.

In election promises made this month, many candidates focused on fixing the primary, secondary and higher education systems, badly hit by the country’s severe economic crisis and the political turmoil following the ousting of Rajapaksa in 2022.

High taxes have drawn significant criticism from professionals, particularly doctors and university lecturers.

The Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), in a report in January this year, said about 1,200 university lecturers had left Sri Lanka between 2022 and 2023.

Additionally, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) said over 1,700 doctors, including specialists, had emigrated between 2022 and 2024. Many left due to the government’s tax policies and rising inflation, it claimed.

As with the last election in 2019, all main presidential candidates have promised tax cuts in response to widespread discontent. The present government introduced a new tax regime, with rates ranging from 6% to a maximum of 36% on monthly income.

A key factor behind Sri Lanka’s economic collapse was the abolition of pay-as-you-earn income tax and other sweeping tax cuts introduced by the Rajapaksa government in November 2019 in line with his earlier election promises.

Sajith Premadasa

Current opposition SJB leader Sajith Premadasa, son of former president Ranasinghe Premadasa, secured second place in the 2019 presidential election with 41.99% of the vote. During his campaign, he had promoted the ‘Sakwala’ or Universe initiative to provide modern equipment to schools.

Among notable policies in his “Win for All” manifesto is attracting foreign branch campuses to Sri Lanka, including collaboration with India’s Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) and Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs).

One of his aims is to improve the international ranking of Sri Lankan universities, which currently struggle to compete globally, with only two institutions ranking within the top 2,000 in mainstream rankings.

Premadasa is also promising free public transportation for all teachers and financial support for students from marginalised communities.

His manifesto also features ambitious plans to foster innovation through the “18+ Startup Project”, support for 1 million startups, and the creation of 25 advanced IT parks, alongside a streamlined one-stop-shop for industry registration.

Samantha Pallegedara, a tech entrepreneur, believes Sri Lanka's lack of development over the past three decades is due to its failure to explore export markets, its focus on local-centric production, and lack of emphasis on attracting foreign investments.

He suggested the situation may be the result of policies of left-leaning presidents for the past 28 years. Pallegedara expressed concern that a leadership shakeup could derail the ongoing debt negotiations with the IMF, causing further uncertainty.

“With the election results uncertain, I have postponed a required office expansion and new product launches until the outcome is clear. We experienced a disruptive situation for our business during the country’s [debt] default in 2022, and as the business community, we are not expecting that situation to happen again,” he told University World News.

“I believe, based on mathematical predictions, that Sajith Premadasa will be favoured to win,” said Pallegedara. He admitted to admiring the candidate’s economic team which, he said, had “shown a positive attitude” towards education by launching the ‘Sakwala’ programme even though Premadasa was not in power.

“I believe this team can move the country forward,” he said.

Ranil Wickremesinghe

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, popularly known as RW, secured 48.43% of the vote in the 2005 presidential race and has served as prime minister six times, though never completing a full term.

His election manifesto titled, “Sri Lanka Can: Five Years of Winning the Country with Ranil”, outlines ambitious plans stretching to 2048. Key proposals include establishing foreign branch campuses, such as a new university in Galaha-Kandy with the support of IIT-Madras in India, and other technological universities.

A proposal for the new IIT campus for Sri Lanka was announced last November in the 2024 Budget unveiled by Wickremesinghe, who also serves as finance minister.

RW also wants to overhaul technical and vocational education, including the creation of Vocational Skills Sri Lanka (VSSL) in 2025, aimed at training 50,000 students with support from the Asian Development Bank.

Prasad Chaminda Lokubalasooriya, a popular economics tutor and respected community figure in Gampaha town close to the capital Colombo, told University World News voting patterns in this year’s election were likely to change significantly.

SLPP and UNP have been rival parties, but for the first time, SLPP supporters are backing UNP’s Wickremesinghe, he said, pointing out that many young voters, especially first-time voters, seemed to be supporting either Dissanayake or Wickremesinghe.

According to Lokubalasooriya, most teachers who run Advanced Level tutoring classes for 17- to 20-year-olds, were encouraging students to vote for Dissanayake for a better future for the country.

However, “some students who remember the hardships they experienced during the [economic] crisis are supporting RW because they believe he helped end their suffering”, the tutor said, for example, by ending long lines for cooking gas through imports, and going to the IMF for support.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake

Anura Kumara Dissanayake, popularly known as AKD, finished third in 2019 with just 3.16% of the vote. However, recent polls show a surge in his popularity as frustration with traditional parties grows.

AKD, representing the Marxist JVP and NPP, is widely seen as gaining traction due to his party’s reputation for integrity and anti-corruption.

His manifesto, “A Thriving Nation – A Beautiful Life”, includes an important policy to increase Mahapola Scholarship stipends, which benefit around 60,000 students, and other bursaries for university students in line with the cost of living.

Roshen Sanjula, a first-year student at Sri Jayewardenepura University told University World News that while the government has promised during the election campaign to increase public employees’ salaries, it has not raised the monthly Mahapola stipend.

He noted the current stipend of US$15 a month would not cover even a week’s worth of food.

Student unions have been demanding an increase in the stipend to at least US$30 to reflect the rising cost of living. These premiums have not been raised since 2015.

However, Wickremesinghe’s government recently approved an increase in the Mahapola scholarship stipend to roughly US$25, effective from April 2025.

Namal Rajapaksa

Namal Rajapaksa is making his debut in the presidential race. The 38-year-old son of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa and a former minister of youth and sports is running on a platform titled “Namal Vision for You – A Developed Country”. His manifesto focuses on ambitious reforms to overhaul Sri Lanka’s education system and governance.

He emphasises the integration of technology and artificial intelligence into Sri Lanka’s education system, enhancement of the global standing of universities, and the establishment of a National Higher Education Commission to oversee both state and private institutions.

Rajapaksa, who may be tainted in the eyes of students due to his links with the Rajapaksa family, also proposes incorporating political education across all levels of schooling as well as transforming the Ocean University of Sri Lanka into a leading centre for marine engineering to capitalise on the nation's extensive maritime resources.