Education

Sri Lanka’s PhD holdersrise to 11,757

Published

5 months ago

April 17, 2026

Sri Lanka has recorded a rise in the number of PhD holders, alongside a broader shift towards higher educational attainment over the past decade, according to the latest data on the population aged 25 and above in the Census of Population and Housing 2024.

Here are 7 key figures from the report:

1. PhD holders increased from 6,557 in 2012 to 11,757 in 2024, though still accounting for just 0.1% of the population.

2. The number of people with degrees more than doubled, rising from 358,052 (3.0%) to 780,958 (5.6%).

3. Those with a tertiary education grew significantly from 2,195,117 (18.2%) in 2012 to 3,635,462 (26.2%) in 2024.

4. Individuals with G.C.E. A/L or equivalent rose from 1,724,574 (14.2%) to 2,677,022 (19.4%).

5. The population with secondary education increased from 7,079,569 to 8,096,402, accounting for around 58% in both years.

6. Those with only primary education declined from 2,214,792 (18.4%) to 1,738,942 (12.5%).

7. The number of people with no schooling dropped from 561,163 (4.7%) to 400,511 (2.9%).

Education

Peradeniya tops SL universities in global rankings

Published

2 weeks ago

August 19, 2026

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The University of Peradeniya has been ranked the top university in Sri Lanka in the latest 2026 rankings released by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR).

The rankings assess universities based on indicators including educational outcomes, graduate employability, faculty quality, research, and overall performance.

The University of Peradeniya was ranked 1,695th among 21,291 universities worldwide.

The university administration said the ranking represents significant recognition of its international-level performance in education and research.

Education

Sri Lanka’s Omar Hazari wins global public speaking championship

Published

1 month ago

July 23, 2026

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Sri Lanka’s Omar Hazari has won the English-Speaking Union International Public Speaking Competition (IPSC) 2026, earning the country its second consecutive title at the prestigious global contest.

The 19-year-old, representing Royal College, Colombo, won the final held in London with a speech inspired by his own experience of childhood bullying. He spoke about overcoming a severe stutter with the support of others and later launching an anti-bullying campaign at his school that has reached more than 3,000 students.

The IPSC brings together national champions from 45 countries and regions and is regarded as the world’s largest public speaking competition, involving more than 100,000 students each year. Sri Lanka also won the 2025 title through Sashane Dassanayake.

Education

Ja’pura Uni. publishes international case study on Port City Colombo

Published

2 months ago

July 18, 2026

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The Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, in collaboration with Port City Colombo, has co-authored and internationally published an academic case study and accompanying teaching notes for students, examining the project’s potential role in shaping Sri Lanka’s long-term economic future.

Published by Nova Publishers, New York, USA, the study titled “Port City Colombo: Catalysing Sri Lanka’s Emergence as a Global Investment Hub” provides a multidisciplinary analysis of the project’s urban planning, strategic, economic, regulatory, and sustainability dimensions.

The case study is featured as a chapter in the book, “Is Sri Lanka Revitalising its Economy? An Analysis of Economic Policy and Technological Adoption,” edited by S. Perera, N. Nanayakkara, G. Samarakoon, and S. Bamunusinghe, and published under the 21st International Conference on Business Management (ICBM), the flagship conference of the Faculty of Management Studies and Commerce.