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About 90% of SL youth under 25 want to go overseas to live comfortably

Published

2 years ago

2024/04/19

By Rathindra Kuruwita

More than 90 percent of youth under 25 believe that they have to go overseas if they are to live comfortably, lecturer at the University of Vocational Technology, H.A Gayan Madushanka, who is one of the authors of a recent study titled ‘Better living, better opportunities: Exploring how economic distress influence the intention to migrate’ says.

The study had been carried out between June and August 2023, he said. 33 percent of respondents have completed an advanced-level coursework, nine percent have completed diploma-level coursework, 59 percent have completed degrees, and one percent have completed doctoral degrees, according to Madushanka.

“About 92 percent feel like this. 66 percent of people we interviewed were in the process of leaving the country. These are people who have at least started learning Korean, seeking employment in South Korea. We also found that 58 percent of the respondents were facing stress because of the economic crisis. There is a lot of uncertainty, and a lot of people don’t think they can achieve their objectives if they stay here,” he said.

Madushanka said they had interviewed a large number of university students and that most students had to stay in Colombo or move to the city to find jobs that match their education level. Many were not certain that it would not be possible with the starting salaries of most of the jobs available, he said.

“On the other hand, young people who have left the country seem to be enjoying a better quality of life. Most undergraduates feel that they, too, need to leave. A lot of undergraduates, who do not come from well off families, are struggling financially,” he said.

Almost all respondents believed that living in Sri Lanka would not provide them with the necessary skills to compete on a global scale.

“Sixty six percent of respondents stated that they would leave the country as soon as a job opportunity presented itself to ensure a better future and to be rewarded for their efforts. Due to uncertainty, nearly one third of respondents said they had lost focus on studies and daily activities. They reported increased anxiety, a lack of uninterrupted sleep, and peer pressure,” he said.

Madushanka said that the beginning of the economic crisis could be traced to Easter Sunday attacks and continued through the COVID lockdowns and the economic crisis. Even young people from well off families started feeling that the country was not a stable place for them to live.

“Even if people have money, their purchasing power has drastically decreased and the services as well. Companies froze recruitment and there were salary cuts. Inflation also rose. Young people feel uncertain about the future,” he said.

Madushanka said they had also come up with a number of policy recommendations that minimise the exodus of youth from the country.

Among the recommendations they had come up with are: make it mandatory for and public sector organisations to recruit a minimum of 25% of their workforce annually from the youth demographic; implement state backed initiatives to support young entrepreneurs and encourage self-reliance by nurturing startup enterprises; develop comprehensive mental health guidelines for employees and university students by establishing anonymous helplines within universities for open communication, ensuring widespread access to these services; mandate universities and workplaces to employ a minimum of one mental health specialist, fostering an environment where students and employees can openly discuss and seek assistance for their mental health concerns; implement participatory research practices at the district level to assess diverse community needs comprehensively and create sustainable mechanisms for advancing youth-driven initiatives and foster cross-border collaborations within state universities to provide students exposure to international academic frameworks, equipping them with the skills required to meet global demands effectively.

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Landslide RED warnings issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions of Ududumbara, Nildadndahinna and Walapane

Published

7 hours ago

2026/01/9

Priyan

The landslide early warning center of the National Building Research Organisation [NBRO] has issued RED warnings to the districts of Kandy and Nuwara Eliya for the next 24 hours effective from 0900 hrs today [09th January].

Accordingly,
LEVEL III RED landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Ududumbara in the Kandy district, and Nildandahinna and Walapane in the Nuwara Eliya district.

LEVEL II AMBER landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Wilgamuwa in the Matale district, and Mathurata and Hanguranketha in the Nuwara Eliya district.

LEVEL I YELLOW landslide early warnings have been issued to the Divisional Secretaries Divisions and surrounding areas of Uva Paranagama, Welimada, Kandaketiya, Badulla, Meegahakiwula, Hali_Ela, Passara and Lunugala in the Badulla district, Minipe in the Kandy district, Ambanganga Korale, Ukuwela, Rattota, Naula and Laggala_Pallegama in the Matale district, and Nuwara Eliya in the Nuwara Eliya district.

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A Policy is being formulated to ensure Child Protection in the use of Technology — Prime Minister

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/9

Priyan

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that a policy is currently being formulated to ensure child protection in the use of technology.

The Prime Minister made this statement on Thursday (08) in Kandy while briefing the Most Venerable Mahanayake Theros of the Asgiriya and Malwathu Chapters on the issue that has arisen regarding the Grade 6 English module. Thereafter, printed copies of all modules were presented to the Mahanayake Theros.

Earlier on Thursday (08), the Prime Minister visited the Malwathu Viharaya in Kandy and met the Most Venerable Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Nayaka Thero, the Mahanayake of the Malwathu Chapter, where she explained the error that had occurred in the first print run of the English module for Grade 6 .

The Mahanayake Theros emphasized that education is a sensitive subject and that such matters should be handled with greater sensitivity and proper oversight. They further advised that a formal investigation should be conducted and that education reforms should be carried forward in a systematic manner.

Subsequently, the Prime Minister visited the Asgiriya Maha Viharaya and met the Most Venerable Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Mahanayaka Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter, where she clarified the error related to the English module.

The Mahanayake Thero noted that education reforms are a timely necessity and should be implemented with due oversight and careful review and also pointed out that there are broader issues in Sri Lanka regarding the use of technology, which are evident in the manner in which modern tools such as AI technologies are being used on social media.

Clarifying the issue Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated,

“We have appointed a committee to look into this issue, and based on the recommendations of the National Institute of Education (NIE), steps were taken to remove the relevant lesson. In addition, all printed copies of the relevant module have been stamped, and no module has been distributed to schoolchildren. A formal investigation into this matter has been initiated by the Ministry, and a complaint has also been lodged with the Criminal Investigation Department.

At the same time, we are in the process of formulating a policy on child protection in the use of technology”.

Thereafter, addressing the media and responding to the’ questions raised by journalists, the Prime Minister stated:

“The Opposition is attempting to use this national task for their own political advantage. However, many in society have expressed their views on the issues that have arisen in a positive manner, with the objective of identifying and correcting mistakes. The government has decided to move forward with education reforms by recognizing the error that have occurred and rectifying them. We will take the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition as an opportunity to further advance dialogue on education reforms”

The occasion was graced by the Most Venerable Anunayaka Thero of the Asgiriya Chapter, Venerable Narampanawe Ananda Nayaka Thero; Deputy Registrar of the Asgiriya Chapter, Venerable Muruddeniye Dhammarakkhita Thero; Deputy Registrar of the Malwathu Chapter, Venerable Mahawela Rathanapala Thero; Members of Parliament Thushari Jayasinghe and Thanura Dissanayake; Mayor of Kandy Chandrasiri Wijenayake; Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa; and Secretary to the Ceylon Teachers’ Union in Central Province D. D. Wimalaweera.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

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The deep depression to the South-east of Sri Lanka is likely to intensify in to a cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours

Published

10 hours ago

2026/01/9

Priyan

Deep depression Track. (Source: RSMC)

A RED warning for a deep depression to the South-east of Sri Lanka has been issued at 01.00 a.m. on 09 January 2026 for the period until 01.00 a.m. 10 January 2026 by the Natural Hazards Early Warning Centre, of the Department of Meteorology.

The deep depression in the Bay of Bengal to the southeast of Sri Lanka (At 01:00 a.m. on Jan 9th, 2026 located about 200 km East of Pottuvil) is very likely to intensify further and move west-northwestwards towards the coast of Sri Lanka between Pottuvil and Trincomalee in the evening today (9th January 2026.) The system is likely to intensify in to a cyclonic storm
during the next 24 hours.

Hence, showery, and windy condition over the island, particularly in the Northern, North-Central, Eastern, Uva and Central provinces is expected to enhance.