The Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah

¶ 01 In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to speak in the Committee Stage debate of the Ministries of Education, Higher Education and TVET. Entrusting this Ministry to the Hon. Prime Minister shows the Government’s priority for education. He has secured a large budget for the Ministry, and I commend him.

¶ 03 Hon. Minister, together with your Deputy, Secretary and officials, we expect you to bring a major change in education over the next five years. We must reform school and university syllabi to match current needs. Many university syllabi were framed decades ago; we still teach based on those, whereas countries like India and Malaysia are updating to reflect global changes and industry-aligned, internationally employable programmes. Please prioritize modern, internationally relevant curricula.

¶ 04 I recall our late leader M.H.M. Ashraff who established the South Eastern University. Currently, efforts are underway to start a Medical Faculty there. Nearby there are several general hospitals; please proceed, and also establish a Law Faculty, long requested.

¶ 05 Tourism is advancing in the East — Pottuvil, Arugam Bay, Pasikuda, Nilaveli, Trincomalee — yet trained manpower is lacking. Establishing a Faculty of Tourism at South Eastern University would train many for the sector.

¶ 06 The Pottuvil Zonal Education Office has long functioned only temporarily, covering over a hundred schools across communities, but is not yet recognized by the central Ministry. As Eastern Province Governor I attempted to regularize it; please now grant it permanent status. Residents otherwise must travel about 100 km to the next Zonal Office.

¶ 07 Regarding remarks here about Muslim Marriage and Divorce Law: any reforms should be undertaken jointly by the Department of Muslim Religious and Cultural Affairs, All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama, Ministry of Education, and Ministry of Justice. Do not inflame community sentiments in this House.

¶ 08 Hon. Presiding Member, on non-State universities: in 2024, 269,613 sat A/L; 173,444 qualified; only 43,568 entered State universities. About 140,000 — nearly 75% — were left out. In 2022, 16,254 enrolled in non-State university programmes and 9,935 in affiliated foreign programmes recognized by the Ministry — 26,189 in total. Around 12,000 go abroad annually, draining an estimated US$50 million per year. The domestic non-State sector meets demand without Government incentives. A 2023 July Select Committee chaired by Hon. (Dr.) Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, PC, recommended: - Establish a Higher Education Commission in place of the UGC and bring non-State universities under it. - Enact a legal framework recognizing private higher education with incentives and guidelines, conditioned on socio-economic obligations, including free places for the poorest by a set percentage. - Encourage PPPs, non-profit universities across all 25 districts, and provide infrastructure (land, transport, water, electricity) to private investors. The BOI assured capacity to provide land with infrastructure. - Permit use of the term “University” for private institutes meeting standards under regulations.

¶ 09 With proper policy, the Government could increase non-State intake fivefold, providing higher education to the majority of deserving students. Sri Lanka currently imports, not exports, education. In our region (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan) non-State and non-profit universities, including medical schools, operate alongside State ones. Under strict SCAQA oversight, non-State institutions can deliver quality, attract foreign students, and bring in forex. They reduce brain drain and the US$50 million outflow. Non-State universities are not just an alternative but a necessity to meet capacity, update curricula, and reach national educational and economic goals. I fully support making Sri Lanka an education hub — and we cannot achieve it without non-State universities. Thank you.