The scholarship programme for international students will not have any negative impact on local students’ opportunity to enter universities, said Minister of Higher Education S. B. Dissanayake.

Measures have been taken to enroll nearly 23, 000 local students to Sri Lankan universities including additional and special entrance for military and police service, the visually handicapped, teachers as well as students who have skills in art, sculpture and indigenous medicine, he added.

Only 21, 000 students had the opportunity to enter to the universities last year, the Minister said.

The Government commenced a programme to offer scholarships to international students to study in Sri Lankan universities, with the aim of making Sri Lanka a hub of knowledge.

Under this, full scholarships for degrees of management, law, engineering, arts, medicine, dental and veterinary fields will be offered to international students.