The Inter-University Students' Federation (IUSF) called on the Government to address the escalating fees at the Sri Lanka Law College (SLLC), the country’s sole institution for legal professional education.
The IUSF highlighted that the significant increase in fees has resulted in a sharp decline in applicants and has made legal education unaffordable for many. At a press conference held yesterday (15), IUSF Convenor Madushan Chandrajith expressed concern over the reduction in SLLC entrance exam applicants, which he claimed had dropped by approximately 50% due to the increased exam fees. He pointed out that the fees for almost all SLLC exams had risen by more than 200% compared to the pre-2023 (last year) levels. Chandrajith highlighted the specific fee increases, stating, "The preliminary year fee, which was Rs. 26,500 before 2023, is now Rs. 87,500, while the intermediate year fee has risen from Rs. 22,000 to Rs. 58,000. The final year fee, previously Rs. 27,500 in 2023, has now jumped to Rs. 75,500." He further noted that the total fee for all three years was around Rs. 82,000 before 2023 but has now surged to approximately Rs. 240,000. “This shows how legal education and the profession have been limited to a certain class. This has caused significant dropouts from the SLLC,” he claimed.
Hence, the IUSF has urged the Government, particularly the newly appointed Justice Minister, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, to take immediate action to address these concerns and to make legal education more affordable for students from all backgrounds.
Some students at the SLLC told The Daily Morning that despite raising the issue with the relevant authorities, no favourable solution has yet been offered. They emphasised the need for urgent reform to ensure that legal education remains accessible to a diverse range of students across the country. “The Law Students‘ Union has raised this issue with the administration several times. But, we didn’t get an acceptable solution,” a student said.
The Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and the SLLC Principal were not available for comment.