According to data from the University Grants Commission (UGC), girls account for approximately 85% of students admitted to the faculties of humanities and social sciences in Sri Lanka’s public universities. This was highlighted by Professor Wasantha Athukorala, Director of the Postgraduate Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Peradeniya and an expert in economics.
For the academic year 2021–2022, a total of 12,825 students were enrolled in humanities and social sciences programs in public universities, with around 10,873 of them being girls.
Similarly, girls constitute about 67% of the 7,899 students admitted to public universities under the commerce stream, numbering approximately 5,312.
The trend continues in other streams as well. About 73% of students admitted through the biology stream are girls, while the biotechnology stream sees an even higher proportion, with girls making up 78% of admissions.
However, a notable disparity exists in the physics and engineering streams, where the number of female students remains significantly lower.
In the broader context, the university system in Sri Lanka had a total of 131,213 students in 2022, with girls representing approximately 65% of the overall student population.
Professor Athukorala also highlighted a concerning trend in school education. Around 46% of boys entering Grade 1 drop out of school before completing their Advanced Level examinations. This high dropout rate among boys, coupled with their lower representation in state universities, poses potential challenges for the country’s future labor market.
“The significant dropout rate and the underrepresentation of boys in higher education could have serious implications for the labor market and economic development,” warned Professor Athukorala.
