Global education provider Cambridge International scales up operations in Sri Lanka

Rod Smith - Pic by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe

Cambridge International is scaling up its operations in Sri Lanka, setting up a dedicated business presence and building a local team to strengthen ties with schools and the government, its Managing Director Rod Smith said earlier this week.

“We are opening our business here so that we can actually invest much more here in terms of building our team,” Smith said at the Cambridge in Sri Lanka forum in Colombo. 

“It means that we will be able to work much closer with the government here, with you, our schools and the community of Cambridge schools here. And this is a very significant development for us.”

Cambridge currently works with about 60 to 80 schools in Sri Lanka as part of a wider global network of over 10,000 schools in 150 countries. In South Asia alone, more than 1,000 schools are teaching the Cambridge curriculum, and Smith said the company sees scope to grow that number “significantly in Sri Lanka.”

The UK-based education body is already delivering English qualifications in the country and intends to expand its focus to teacher training, early childhood education and oracy skills. Smith said Cambridge’s local presence would allow it to support even better and build a stronger education community in the country.

“Not because it’s for Cambridge, but because as a community, we can do a lot more together,” he stressed.

Smith added that Cambridge is investing in areas aligned with the country’s education priorities, such as teacher development and workshops in early years learning, seen as critical for long-term outcomes. The organisation has also introduced programmes linked to enterprise and climate change education, signalling plans to broaden its offering in Sri Lanka.

The move comes as international education providers increasingly compete for presence in South Asia, where demand for global curricula is rising alongside national reforms. Smith noted that the profile of Sri Lanka’s Cambridge schools is “different in many ways from many other countries,” stressing the importance of a tailored strategy.