Observed Trends In The Higher Education Sector In Sri Lanka And Those Seen In Other Regions In Asia, Europe And America: A comparative Global perspective

The literacy rate of Sri Lanka is at 92%, and it has the highest literacy rate in South Asia. Inthe past, higher education was provided through the Pirivenas, and then in 1921, CeylonUniversity College was established, which was the first step towards the modern universitysystem in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka continues to struggle with challenges in higher educationwhich include low admission to state universities which is about 26%, few available privatevocational schools, and an increasing need for greater diversification and privatization. Someof the most notable trends in higher education in the world, including Sri Lanka, is the use oftechnology in education like e-learning and MOOCS which reduces inequalities in theeducation system. Due to the lack of funding from the government sector for highereducation, there is a growing shift towards privatization and commercialization.Collaboration between universities and industries is on the rise and aims to integrate thecurriculum with real world problems to enhance the skills. However, many issues remainwhere education is not relevant to the job market, weak research productivity fromuniversities, and not having enough qualified staffs because of better employment optionsabroad. There have been steps towards gender equity, but issues such as ragging and politicsamong students further impede development in higher education. Sri Lanka must addressthese issues to meet the global standards by adopting innovative polices, equitable access toeducation, and international partnership and collaborations.