News

Economic sectors at risk from departures of 14,000 professionals

Published

2 years ago

July 9, 2023

editor

The growing exodus of professionals and skilled workers to foreign countries will threaten the quality of services provided to the public, experts warn.

Statistics reveal that the country’s heading towards a major brain drain with 14,307 professionals leaving the country last year compared with 2,957 professionals in 2020 and 8,373 in 2021.

According to the Bureau of Foreign Employment, the majority of the professionals were between 30 years and 39 years of age.

Last year also saw 8,130 middle level employees leaving the country. Over 12,000 clerical staff have left, while only 2,400 left in 2020.

In 2022, 92,836 skilled workers left the country compared with the 40,000 in 2021. A majority of them were between 25 years and 44 years of age.

The Association of Medical Specialists said the Government should immediately intervene to retain young specialists, while increasing the retirement age of consultants.

The association’s media secretary Dr. Asoka Gunaratne said out of the trained 30 consultant emergency physicians, 20 have left the country.

“The only paediatric radiology specialist in the country has emigrated. About 70-80% who go for consultant training to the UK and Australia do not return,” he said.

He said the Government’s decision to raise the retirement age of specialist consultant doctors to 63 years is needed at a time when huge numbers of young specialists are leaving the country.

“If they (Government) fails to increase the age limit, about 600 consultants will retire. The country is already short of about 2,000 consultants,” he said.

Dr. Gunaratne said lack of good accommodation, limited private practice opportunities and no school facilities for children, are causing frustration among young specialists serving in rural hospitals.

Prof. Bharana Jayawardena, president of the Federation of Teachers’ Associations said universities are at risk of losing 1st or 2nd uppers in universities as probationary lecturers.

“People are reluctant to sign sureties for PhD scholarship students as they doubt whether the students will return to the country. Even those who return stay for 2-3 years and consider emigration,” he said.

He said lecturers of medical faculties in universities away from Colombo are grabbing every opportunity to emigrate.

“There are a number of vacancies in vet, agriculture faculties as well, that could have an impact on the country’s agriculture, livestock sectors in the coming years,” Prof. Jayawardena said.

He said the government should increase investment in higher education, such as research grants for universities, provide flexible transfers and facilitate school admission for their children.

At a recent Committee of Public Account (COPA) meeting in Parliament, Government Analyst Deepika Seneviratne highlighted that there are 25 vacancies because scientific officers have gone overseas, triggering delays in reports. She said contract staff have to be hired to complete accumulated reports.

General secretary of Ceylon Bank Employees Union Ranjan Senanayake said over 1,000 employees in both the private and state bank sector have left the country.

“Those emigrating already have 10-15 years experience. Many are not seeing a future for their children here,” he said.

(sundaytimes.lk)

News

GoSL to develop unique Food Security Index for SL

Published

4 hours ago

June 17, 2025

editor

The government is currently prioritizing the development of a country-specific Food Security Index, with the goal of completing the initiative within the next three months.

This tailored index is expected to better reflect Sri Lanka’s unique food security landscape, addressing the limitations of global indices such as the Global Food Security Index (GFSI), which have been criticized for failing to capture the nuances of the local context. Policymakers have also noted that existing data is often insufficient or imprecise, making it challenging to develop effective strategies.

The proposed index aims to identify key national priorities and guide food security policy over the next five years.

As a first step in this effort, a workshop titled “Identifying a Suitable Food Security Index for Sri Lanka and Formulating a Strategic Plan” was held today (17) at the Colombo City Center. Organized by the Food Security Expert Committee in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the event brought together experts and stakeholders from across the sector.

Delivering the opening remarks, Senior Additional Secretary to the President Kapila Gunaratne emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating that the development of a precise, country-specific index is a vital step toward ensuring both economic stability and national food security. The workshop focused on the four key dimensions of food security; availability, accessibility, utilization and stability and explored how these can be incorporated into a comprehensive and practical national index.

Participants included members of the Food Security Expert Committee, such as Senior Professors Buddhi Marambe and Jeevika Weerahewa, along with representatives from various government agencies, academic institutions, the FAO, the WFP and the private sector.

(President’s Media Division)

News

Several Opp. MPs walk out of Parliament

Published

4 hours ago

June 17, 2025

editor

Several opposition members of Parliament have walked out of the Parliament chamber today (June 17.) in protest over the actions of the Speaker of House, according to Chief Opposition Whip Member of Parliament Gayantha Karunathilleka.

MP Karunathilleka noted that several MPs including those from the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), walked out of Parliament after the Speaker refused to allocate time to discuss the on-going Iran-Israel conflict.

News

SL – France sign key debt restructuring agreement

Published

4 hours ago

June 17, 2025

editor

Sri Lanka and France signed a bilateral agreement yesterday (June 16) in Colombo, marking a major milestone in Sri Lanka’s external debt restructuring process, the Ministry of Finance announced.

The bilateral agreement was signed by Mahinda Siriwardana, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Planning, and Economic Development, on behalf of the government and William Roos, Assistant Secretary, Multilateral Affairs, Trade and Development Policies Department, Directorate-general of the Treasury, on behalf of the government of France.

The statement by the Finance Ministry added that the government of France played a pivotal role in spearheading Sri Lanka’s external debt restructuring process, co-chairing the Official Creditor Committee alongside Japan and India.

The Ministry noted that the agreement would further strengthen the longstanding bilateral relationships between the two nations.