Using tax payers money Over 50 % of Uni graduates migrate and never come back

• In some departments, around 80%  to 90% students migrate
• A study recommends recovering money from students who don’t return
• Govt. spends between Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 1.4Mn per student annually   
•  Study proposes USD 10,000 – 15,000 repayment from students abroad   

By Sheain Fernandopulle   

More than 50 percent of students who earn degrees at state universities in some disciplines using taxpayers’ money are leaving the country and never coming back, a study reveals. This development was observed in an ongoing study conducted by Prof. Wasantha Athukorala and Laksman Kumara at the University of Peradeniya.   

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Prof. Athukorala, an Economics professor at the university, said, “In some departments, around 80 to 90 percent students migrate. This is a grave concern given the money spent on them through free education,” He also said that “most who migrate are the best graduates who secure highest performance at university 

“In some cases, almost all students following science based degrees are leaving the country and never coming back,” he pointed out.   

“At present around 142,000 undergraduate students are studying in State sector universities. Of them 25 % are Arts, 20 % are Mgt & Commerce, 13 % are Engineering. Medicine, Dental Science, Veterinary and Allied Health are 10 % and Agriculture and Computer Science are approximately 11 %. The University Grants Commission enrolls around 44,000 students per year for National Universities in the recent past annually.   

Total Graduate (Bachelor Degree) Output in 2023 was 33, 306,” he explained.   

“Government has spent approximately Rs. 87 billion for university education in 2023 which include Rs. 69.9 billion recurrent expenditure and Rs. 16.7 billion capital expenditure. In addition to that, respective universities spend their own earning funds as well,” Prof. Athukorala added.   

Professor Athukorala and Laksman Kumara conduct this study to understand the migration trend of Sri Lankan state sector graduates and incurred cost to the Tax payers in the country.   

In light of the situation, the study recommends that Sri Lankan students who migrate after completing free higher education at state universities should reimburse the government for the cost of their education.   

“If the government can’t inform them to pay the cost, at least they should send USD 50,000 to Sri Lanka. Probably they should send this money for their family members in the country which also provide some benefits to country,” he said.   

The recommendation is based on data being collected from 19 state universities across the country.   

According to the study, the government spends approximately Rs 500,000 per student annually which can vary between Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 1.4 million per student annually, depending on the degree programme. However, a large number of graduates — particularly from the Science, Agriculture, and Engineering faculties are migrating and not returning.   

Furthermore, he acknowledged that due to the country’s current unemployment situation, it is not practical to force graduates to remain in Sri Lanka. Given low payment in private or government sector in the country, most parents are also supporting their children to migrate. Making entrepreneurs from the university education can be a long term solution to avoid this trend.   

If the government spends 1 million per year per student, approximately they spend USD 13,500 for making a graduate in this field. This money comes from Tax payers. Therefore, the study proposes a system where students who permanently settle abroad repay an estimated USD 10,000 to 15,000 to the state to recover a portion of the public investment in their education. This does not include the free education expenditure provided to them during their schooling years.   

This research is still ongoing and team is planning to finalize this work by the end of the year and prepare a comprehensive report about this issue.