Daily Mirror report makes its mark in House for second day

Ravi K questions what Govt will do to stop brain drain, and ensure brain gain instead

• Asks government whether it would seek reimbursement of money spent on them
• Seeks verification on how much it costs to the country as a percentage of GDP

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana

The Daily Mirror story headlined ‘Over 50 % of Uni graduates migrate and never come back’ came to the limelight in Parliament yesterday when an opposition MP raised a question with regard to the issue highlighted in it.   

New Democratic Front MP Ravi Karunanayake raised his question under Standing Orders 27(2) on the issue published by the Daily Mirror in its edition on August 13, 2025.   

The MP who directed the question at Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, who is also the minister in charge of education, sought verification of details mentioned in the news article.   

The MP asked how many students who have gone overseas during the last ten years and not returned to Sri Lanka, how much it costs to the country as a percentage of GDP, and whether steps would be taken to get them to return.   

He also asked the government whether it would seek reimbursement of money spent on them.   

He also questioned as to whether the government considers that those who migrate have a moral duty to work for their mother country.   

Daily Mirror on August 13 reported that more than 50 per cent of students who earn degrees at state universities in some disciplines using taxpayers’ money are leaving the country and never coming back. This development was observed in an ongoing study conducted by Prof. Wasantha Athukorala and Lakshman Kumara at the University of Peradeniya. Daily Mirror quoted Prof. Athukorala, an Economics Professor at the university, who said around 80 to 90 per cent of students migrate in some departments. This is a grave concern given the money spent on them through free education. Most who migrate are the best graduates who secure the highest performance at the university level,” he was quoted as saying. Daily Mirror also revealed that the government spends Rs. 400,000 and Rs. 1.4Mn per student annually.   

The government wanted time to provide an answer to the question raised by the MP.