Quality Higher Education Is Key to Jobs and Prosperity: Here Is How Sri Lanka Did it - World Bank Group

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/home

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/what-we-do

https://www.worldbank.org/ext/en/what-we-do/outcomes

Quality Higher Education Is Key to Jobs and Prosperity: Here Is How Sri Lanka Did it

Sri Lanka's higher education sector is vital for economic development and the transition from a lower-middle income country (LMIC) to an upper middle-income country (UMIC). However, the sector has been underdeveloped with the gross enrollment ratio at 21 percent (2014)—below LMIC and UMIC averages—and the share of students in priority science, technology, engineering, mathematics disciplines (STEM) was even lower, with 13 percent in science and 7 percent in engineering. Overall, the country ranked 88th out of 115 countries for higher education participation. It also faced additional challenges including inadequate research and innovation output (138th out of 204 countries), passive student learning, and scarcity of qualified academic staff in the higher education sector.

The project contributed to the jobs agenda by producing more and better-qualified

STEM graduates for the labor market; improving graduate employability through English, soft skills, and work-linked learning; and fostering innovation ecosystems with direct spin-off enterprises and additional workers hired through RDIC grants.

The engagement of academic staff in the design and management of the operation significantly contributed to its success. AHEAD was designed by a team of academic experts drawn from several universities across multiple disciplines such as STEM, humanities and social science. This enabled high- quality knowledge inputs into the design of the operation. Some of these academic experts were also a part of Operations and Monitoring Support Team of the Government’s Ministry of Higher Education to implement the results areas of the project. This ensured a deep understanding and sustained commitment to the project implementation.

The World Bank Group will continue to engage on the skills agenda with a special focus on key economic sectors such as agri-business, tourism, and the care economy, and the cross-cutting area of digital skills. The World Bank is currently assisting the country to review the skills that will be needed in the future, especially in the context of rapidly evolving technologies such as artificial intelligence and industrial robots, and in sectors that are expected to generate future jobs such as health and elder care for an aging population, and skills for agri-business and tourism.