A large number of Sri Lankan students interested in higher education attended an Australian education showcase in Colombo. The Australian Trade and Investment Commission (Austrade), a government agency in Australia, organized the Study Australia Showcase. "An impressive number of students expressed their eagerness to choose Australia as their preferred location for advanced education", said Dr Monica Kennedy, Senior Trade and Investment Commissioner, Austrade, according to an Australian High Commission press release. "We work with Sri Lankan students to ensure they make the best decisions when considering studying in Australia". According to UNESCO, approximately 10,500 students will be studying in Australia by August 2023.
Following an economic crisis last year and ongoing political uncertainty in the island nation, Sri Lanka is seeing an increase in the number of its students seeking admission to foreign universities. Applicants' access to Swedish universities is jeopardized due to visa delays. Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickramasinghe proposed last month to establish foreign university branches in the country. "I propose to make it easier to establish branch campuses in Sri Lanka, with a particular emphasis on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics subjects, as well as finance, information technology, and medicine", the president said. (Colombo/Sep20/2023)
