A call to extend retirement age of public servants

It is reported that the Government is considering extending the retirement age of judges of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court by two years to continue benefiting from their knowledge and experience. This is a welcome proposal.

If the retirement age of superior court judges is to be extended on this basis, the same principle should be considered for other sectors of the public service, including the Sri Lanka Administrative Service (SLAS), university lecturers, doctors, state bank officers, and other senior public servants, many of whom currently have an optional retirement age of 55 and a mandatory retirement age of 60.

International experience also supports this approach. In the United States, judges of the Supreme Court serve for life, enabling the country to benefit from their accumulated wisdom and expertise. Another notable example is Alan Greenspan, a highly respected former Chairman of the U.S. Federal Reserve (Central Bank). He served for nearly 19 years, retiring at the age of 79. After retirement, he continued to contribute as an economic consultant until his death in 2025 at the age of 99.

If experience is considered an asset for one category of public servants, it should, where appropriate, be recognised as an asset across the wider public sector for the benefit of the nation.

Upali Weerasinghe