The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, as pledged in the NPP policy statement, we aim to transform our universities into advanced centres of learning and research. As a step towards that, unprecedented allocations have been made: Rs. 118 billion for higher education, up from Rs. 103 billion last year. Overall, we have allocated 1.9% of GDP for education this year. While we advocate moving to 6%, within public finance constraints we have made the highest feasible provision.

¶ 02 Although our undergraduate education is strong by regional standards — evident from our graduates’ success in postgraduate studies abroad — our international standing suffers mainly because our system is focused on undergraduate programmes, with insufficient human resources. About 160,000 students are enrolled full-time across 711 undergraduate programmes. The required academic cadre is 13,332 (including temporary staff), but only about 10,750 are in place. We should at least fill 50% of vacancies this year, and Rs. 3,000 million has been allocated for recruitments.

¶ 03 Non-academic cadre is also short: required 16,324; present 12,304; leaving around 4,020 vacancies. The same Rs. 3 billion should be efficiently used to fill both academic and non-academic gaps, in consultation with Treasury to avoid procedural bottlenecks.

¶ 04 Another acute problem is the two to two-and-a-half year wait after A/Ls before university admission, exacerbated by delays in releasing exam results. Our policy promised to provide the Department of Examinations with necessary human and technological resources. Of Rs. 12,360 million for the Department in 2025, Rs. 750 million is for capital expenditure — use it to modernize assessments and expedite results. The UGC has Rs. 85,700 million, with Rs. 10,500 million for capital. Use these to streamline selection so students enter on time.

¶ 05 We also welcome Rs. 1,000 million for Research and Development, and Rs. 4,100 million to upgrade laboratories and procure modern learning equipment. Address practical barriers: duty on imported research equipment hinders timely access; and MoU approvals with foreign universities take too long. Provide duty reliefs where appropriate and fast-track MoU approvals to enable collaboration and knowledge exchange.

¶ 06 On remuneration: under the Budget, a Senior Professor’s basic pay increases from Rs. 139,175 to Rs. 237,530; a Professor’s from Rs. 117,350 to Rs. 198,280. Research allowances also increase slightly: e.g., Senior Lecturer Grade II from Rs. 27,776 to Rs. 28,189; Lecturer (Probationary) from Rs. 19,110 to Rs. 19,920. Academic allowances rise: Senior Professor from Rs. 290,876 to Rs. 316,034; Professor from Rs. 238,221 to Rs. 259,108. For non-academic staff, basic salaries rise and monthly disturbance/allowances increase: e.g., Registrar’s monthly allowance from Rs. 46,800 to Rs. 65,093; Primary Grade from Rs. 12,161 to Rs. 15,069; Senior Assistant Registrar from Rs. 29,781 to Rs. 40,598; Technical Officer from Rs. 14,231 to Rs. 18,064. Consequently, a Senior Professor’s total pay rises from Rs. 529,397 to Rs. 619,807; a Professor’s from Rs. 440,913 to Rs. 515,844. Additionally, income tax burdens have been eased by Rs. 20,000–30,000 per month.

¶ 07 We remain committed to recruiting and retaining high-quality talent in our university system and ensuring they are fairly remunerated.