Improving the Quality of Higher Education
This results area aims to support HEIs to produce well-qualified students academically and suitably prepared for the world of work and wider civic and social life. The following strategic actions use to achieve this objective:
⮚ Enriching Learning, Teaching, and Assessment (ELTA) and English Language Skills Enhancement (ELSE) grants
A system of competitive grants for ELTA-ELSE was established to support innovative approaches for the combined development of academic excellence and socio-emotional skills.
⮚ Professional development
The program supports university academics to obtain Ph.D. qualifications from reputed universities. The program also supports short-term training programs for the capacity building of an academic, managerial, and technical staff of universities.
ELTA ELSE Faculty Development Grants
The Enriching Learning, Teaching, Assessment and English Language Skills Enhancement (ELTA-ELSE) DP aims at improving the quality of higher education and has two main components:
(a) Academic and socio-emotional skills development and
(b) Enhancement of English language skills.
The AHEAD project initiates a funding scheme intending to improve the quality of learning, teaching, and assessment combined with socio-emotional skills and English language skills of students from the fields of the Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Commerce, Management, and Pure and Applied Sciences, to strengthen the social and economic relevance of the university programs.
Awardees of ELTA – ELSE Faculty grants of the AHEAD project
Awardees of ELTA – ELSE Faculty grants of the AHEAD project
● Faculty of Social Science and Humanities – (FSSH) (Rs.120 million)
● Coordinator: Prof. E.M.S. Ekanayake
● Agreement Signed on 13th June 2019
● Financial progress as at 31st March 2023 – 57.64%
● Faculty of Management Studies – (FMS) (Rs. 120 million)
● Coordinator: Dr. W.M.R.B. Weerasooriya
● Agreement Signed on 02nd May 2019
● Financial progress as at 31st March 2023– 89.71%
● Faculty of Agriculture (FOA)-(Rs.120 million)
● Coordinator: Prof. N.S. Abeysinghe
● Agreement Signed on 16th May 2019
● Financial progress as at 31st March 2023– 92.20%
ELTA – ELSE Department Development Grants
The ELTA-ELSE Faculty DP is a competitive funding scheme under the overall leadership and responsibility of the Dean of the Faculty. The ELTA-ELSE DPs available to Departments/Units in the Faculties of Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences, Commerce, Management, and Pure and Applied Sciences in the Universities which come under the purview of the UGC and have internal students.
Awardees of ELTA – ELSE Department grants of the AHEAD project
● Department of Plant Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture (DPS)
o Coordinator: Dr. U.G.A.I. Sirisena (Rs. 18 million)
● Agreement Signed on 16th October 2019
● Financial progress as at 31st March 2023–85.02%
● Department of Agricultural Systems Faculty of Agriculture (ASD)
o Coordinator: Dr. A.M.K.R. Bandara (Rs. 18 million)
● Agreement Signed on 13th August 2019
● Financial progress as at 31st March 2023 –86.58
Postgraduate Scholarship
AHEAD assists HEIs in strengthen the quality of their academic staff through suitable Ph.D. programs. This scholarship program offers in collaboration with the UGC and NCAS scholarship schemes. Funding provides for up to 36 months of support towards completing three-year full-time PhD programs in overseas universities or full-time Split-Site PhD programs.
A maximum allocation of LKR 9 million for a candidate, the grant amount depends on whether it is a full or split site program, living cost of the country, registration/course fee, etc. Individuals winning the grant for full-time PhDs receive the program registration fees and the cost of living allowances/monthly allowance for a maximum of three years and any other research expenses incurred.
The Scholarships is available to Probationary Lecturers, Lecturers and Senior Lecturers of Universities, Campuses and Undergraduate Institutes without PhD qualifications, subject to the following eligibility criteria:
1. The Candidate should be less than 40 years of age
2. The Candidate should be a permanent member of the academic staff
3. The Candidate should be entitled to full-time leave for the entire period of PhD
4. The Candidate should have obtained IELTS minimum score 6.5 or equivalent at the time of commencement of training
5. The Candidate should fulfill the eligibility requirement of the Trainer University
List of Candidates received postgraduate Scholarships and started their PhD Studies
| Name of the awardee | Department | Faculty | University for reading PhD | Country |
| Mr. K.A.S.H. Kulathilake | Dept. of Computing | Applied Sciences | University Malaya | Malaysia |
| Mr. P.D. Kahandage | Dept. of Agricultural Engineering and Soil Science | Agriculture | University of Tsukuba | Japan |
| Mr. K.J.S. Madhushanka | Dept. of Accountancy and Finance | Management Studies | University Canada West | Canada |
| Mr. N.D.T.M. Siriwardane | Dept. of Archeaology | Social Sciences and Huminities | University Canada West | Netherlands |
