Brexit casts Sri Lanka's UK Degree programmes in limbo
The United Kingdom’s (UK) decision to leave the European Union (EU), despite not coming into effect as yet, is causing uncertainty amongst several institutions offering UK Degree programmes in Sri Lanka, Education Times learns.
According to a leading institution offering UK Degree programmes in Sri Lanka, the UK is one of the pioneers in Tertiary Education for students worldwide. As much as there are students (both local and international) who study within the UK itself, there are a significant number of students who take up UK Degrees studying externally, via various Educational institutions established in their respective countries.
Speaking for the institution, an official said, “Following Brexit, there are both short term and long term effects which cannot be overlooked. With the drop in the value of the Sterling, UK Education does seem more affordable now and so, in the short run, there seems to be a much higher demand for UK Education from international students.
According to the official, the decision to exit the EU would have an impact on the syllabuses, specifically, in the areas of Law. For instance, EU Law which was a highly demanded subject in the LLB Degrees, would now experience a drop in demand.
“In certain University syllabuses, to obtain a 'Qualifying Law Degree' (QLD) qualification, EU Law, along with some other subjects are compulsory units. Those students who had spent countless hours studying the subject, while preparing for 'QLD' presentations, would now question their status due to Brexit,” he said.
He added, “Will it impact them negatively or, will there be provisions in place to make their efforts and qualifications still count? These are some of the main questions which students are eager to get answers for.”
Several other institutions also expressed concern over the matter. Another leading affiliate of the University of London in Colombo, stated that the University had not informed them of any changes to syllabuses as of yet. Despite this, they expect that there would be changes to EU Law related Degree programmes.
Furthermore, an official affiliated with another local institution under the University of London, said they have been experiencing a rush by students to pay their university fees, following a drop in the value of the Sterling.
Apart from this, the official added, “The cost of Education is a significant factor when it comes to deciding on which University to enroll into. There will be an influx of demand for UK Education in the short run. But, in the long run, the value of the Sterling will definitely increase, which would gradually return the total tuition fees to its original state.”
The official stated that one of the main reasons why the UK voted to exit the EU was due to ‘immigrant problems’ which they thought they had. This raises a question of whether the UK would allow international students with UK Degrees, to obtain employment in the UK.
Commenting on the status of students who have finished their LLB programmes and are awaiting results, the official said, “The University has not told us how it would work and also, how it will affect students. What we need to understand is that, this is something which is not under our control, and I am certain, it was not something the University can control either. The need for students to do EU Law, along with a QLD presentation was because, if a student wanted to obtain a QLD, then EU Law, along with some other modules were compulsory.”
“By taking those subjects, if a student wanted to take up the Bar exams in another country (a EU Country) where UK was part of before, then those modules would enable them to do so. But now, things have changed. Syllabuses may be changed,” he further elaborated.
“In certain University syllabuses, to obtain a 'Qualifying Law Degree' (QLD) qualification, EU Law, along with some other subjects are compulsory units.