Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development Operation

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The development objective of the Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development Operation Project for Sri Lanka is to increase enrollment in priority disciplines, improve the quality of degree programs, and promote research and innovation in the higher education sector. The main direct beneficiaries will be an estimated 600,000 higher education students and 5,000 academics, managers, and technical staff members who will benefit from AHEAD over its lifespan. There will also be many indirect beneficiaries from AHEAD including (a) private sector employers who will be able to recruit better-qualified university graduates; (b) the Government, which will be able to employ higher-quality graduates for the civil service and other public services; (c) future generations of university students and staff members who will benefit from the system-wide reforms and improvements; and (d) the private and public sector institutions that benefit from the research and innovation activities. The Program component of AHEAD will support three strategic results areas: (a) increasing enrollment in higher education with special emphasison study programs required for an aspiring upper-middle-income economy; (b) broadening and deepening modern teaching and learning approaches that combine academic excellence with high-quality socio emotional skills; and (c) promoting a vibrant research and innovation culture that can support economic development, especially the growth of higher-value industries and services. The main direct beneficiaries will be an estimated 600,000 higher education students and 5,000 academics, managers, and technical staff members who will benefit from AHEAD over its life-span. There will also be many indirect beneficiaries from AHEAD including (a) private sector employers who will be able to recruit better-qualified university graduates; (b) the Government, which will be able to employ higher-quality graduates for the civil service and other public services; (c) future generations of university students and staff members who will benefit from the system-wide reforms and improvements; and (d) the private and public sector institutions that benefit from the research and innovation activities.