‘Free investment zones’ to attract foreign campuses

By Dinesh De Alwis. Sri Lanka is planning to set up ‘free investment zones’ for education, which will offer land and tax breaks to foreign investors. The aim is to attract international universities and build the country into a higher education hub in Asia.
In January last year Sri Lanka's Ministry of Higher Education had to withdraw a proposed private universities bill due to escalating resistance from students and lecturers. To circumvent such opposition, the government decided to attract foreign universities into ‘free investment zones’ under Board of Investment projects. More...