KDU Medical Faulty entry restriction will push Sri Lankan students into wilderness

Colombo, May 31 (Daily Mirror) - Restrictions applied to local students to universities other than the state-owned ones will push Sri Lankan students into the wilderness, a former Education Minister said yesterday.

Sri Lankan students will be compelled to apply to foreign universities when they lose opportunities locally. Such a scenario, in turn, will result in an outflow of funds from Sri Lanka. This will also result in a brain drain, former Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said, referring to the government’s decision to restrict the entry of local students to the medical faculty of Kotelawala Defence University (KDU).

Voicing his displeasure over the government’s decision United National Party (UNP) yesterday asked as to whether the Sri Lankan government is trying to emulate Donald Trump.

“US President Donald Trump has restricted foreign students from entering Harvard University, internationally recognised as one of the best in the world. Is the Sri Lankan government following the same line?” Mr. Kariyawasam asked.

He asked whether the decision on the restriction of local admission to KDU medical faculty was a collective decision of the NPP government, or whether it was a decision of one individual with vested interests.

The decision made with regard to KDU by the present government has come under attack by other opposition parties lately as well. Accordingly, Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) MP Nalin Bandara Jayamaha also fired a shot at the government recently with regard to the issue.

MP Jayamaha had noted that between 700 and 800 Sri Lankan students leave the country annually to study medicine abroad.

“That means US $700 to US $ 800 million is flowing out of our country each year,” he said. While highlighting KDU helps to retain at least $12 million annually in Sri Lanka, the MP questioned the rationale behind the government’s decision.

The MP expressed concern that the new policy would forfeit a valuable opportunity to develop the domestic education sector, pointing to countries like Malaysia and India that benefit from providing educational services to foreign students.