State Ministry of Higher Education

The State Ministry of Higher Education (Sinhala: උසස් අධ්‍යාපන රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය, romanized: Usas Adhyāpana Rājya Amātyāṅśaya; Tamil: உயர் கல்வி இராஜாங்க அமைச்சு) is a Non-cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for formulating and implementing national policy on higher education and other subjects which come under its purview.^[1] Broadly, this involves the maintenance, expansion, standardisation and general oversight and regulation of higher education institutions in the country.^[2][3]

State Ministry of Higher Education

උසස් අධ්‍යාපන රාජ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශය உயர் கல்வி இராஜாங்க அமைச்சு
Ministry overview
Superseding Ministry	Ministry of Education
Jurisdiction	Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Headquarters	18 Ward place, Colombo 7 6.9166°N 79.8669°E / 6.9166; 79.8669
Annual budget	LKR 30 billion (2018, recurrent) LKR 133 billion (2018, capital)
Minister responsible	Vacant, State Minister of Higher Education
Ministry executive	Mrs. J.M.B. Jayawardana, State Secretary
Child Ministry	University Grants Commission
Website	mohe.gov.lk

The current State Minister of Higher Education is vacant.

Ministers

Parties

  Sri Lanka Freedom Party   United National Party   Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna

Ministers of Higher Education

Name		Portrait	Party	Took office	Left office	Head of government		Ministerial title	Refs
	J. R. Jayewardene		United National Party	14 February 1980			J. R. Jayewardene	Minister of Higher Education
	A. C. S. Hameed		United National Party	18 February 1989	28 March 1990		Ranasinghe Premadasa	Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology	[4][5]
	Lalith Athulathmudali		United National Party	30 March 1990				Minister of Education and Higher Education	[6][7]
	W. J. M. Lokubandara		United National Party	August 1993			D. B. Wijetunga		[8]
	Richard Pathirana		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	19 August 1994					[9][10]
	Indika Gunawardena		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	19 October 2000			Chandrika Kumaratunga	Minister of Higher Education and Information Technology Development	[11]
	Sarath Amunugama		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	14 September 2001				Minister of Education and Higher Education	[12][13]
	W. A. Wiswa Warnapala		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	28 January 2007			Mahinda Rajapaksa	Minister of Higher Education	[14][15][16]
	S. B. Dissanayake			22 November 2010					[17][18]
	Kabir Hashim		United National Party	12 January 2015	22 March 2015		Maithripala Sirisena	Minister of Highways, Higher Education and Investment Promotion	[19][20][21][22]
	Sarath Amunugama		Sri Lanka Freedom Party	22 March 2015	17 August 2015			Minister of Higher Education and Research	[23][24][25][26]
	Lakshman Kiriella		United National Party	4 September 2015	14 October 2015			Minister of University Education and Highways	[27][28][29]
				14 October 2015	25 February 2018			Minister of Higher Education and Highways	[30][31]
	Kabir Hashim		United National Party	25 February 2018	22 November 2019				[32][33][34]
	Bandula Gunawardane		Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna	22 November 2019			Gotabaya Rajapaksa	Minister of Higher Education, Technology and Innovation	[35]

Secretaries

Higher Education Secretaries

Name	Took office	Left office	Title	Refs
Sunil Jayantha Navaratne	22 November 2010		Higher Education Secretary	[36]
Udaya R. Seneviratna	19 January 2015		Highways, Higher Education and Investment Promotio Secretary	[37]
D. C. Dissanayake	8 September 2015	27 November 2019	University Education and Highways Secretary	[38][39][40]
D.M.A.R.B. Dissanayake	27 November 2019	Present	Higher Education, Technology and Innovation Secretary	[41][42]

See also

• Education in Sri Lanka
• Expressways of Sri Lanka
• Higher education in Sri Lanka
• List of A-Grade highways in Sri Lanka
• List of Universities in Sri Lanka