Journal of Global Research in Education and Social Science

Emigration Intentions and Drivers among Residents of Colombo Municipal Council, Sri Lanka

K. Nishanthi — 2026-09-03

Emigration has been a persistent feature of Sri Lanka's socio-economic landscape since the 1970s, but the 2022 economic crisis triggered an unprecedented surge, with foreign employment departures rising from 122,264 in 2021 to a record 311,161 in 2023. While existing research has examined national-level migration trends and the economic drivers of emigration, limited attention has been given to emigration intentions among highly urbanised populations and their relationship with observed national migration patterns. This study examines the drivers of emigration intentions among residents of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), Sri Lanka’s most urbanised and highly educated area, and compares them with national migration trends. A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted using a structured questionnaire among 69 residents of the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), selected through non-probability convenience sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, and the findings were compared with national migration statistics obtained from secondary sources. Emigration intention among respondents was pervasive: 86.4% intended to migrate within the next five years, with economic factors being the dominant motivation, followed by educational and family reasons. Income dissatisfaction was near universal (95.5%), 90.9% believed that better opportunities existed abroad, and only 22.7% rated their quality of life as good. The comparative analysis shows convergence in economic motivation but sharp divergence in gender and skill profiles: the sample was 63.6% female and 77.3% degree-holding, whereas only 44.7% of actual national departures are female and roughly 21% are classified as skilled. This gap points to constrained migration aspirations among urban women, who face regulatory barriers such as the Family Background Report requirement, and to a distinct brain-drain segment whose departure carries the greatest long-term developmental cost. The study concludes with six evidence-linked policy recommendations: improve income and economic stability, reduce the cost of living, improve urban quality of life, retain skilled human capital, create more quality employment opportunities, and strengthen political stability and good governance.

Benchmarking Documented Student Entrepreneurship Support: A Comparative Study of Highly Ranked Universities Using Clark’s Entrepreneurial University Model

Leo Santiago III Arrabaca — 2026-09-03

Student entrepreneurship has become an increasingly significant function within universities, encompassing entrepreneurship education, mentoring, venture development, funding, incubation, networking, and additional institutional support mechanisms. However, universities differ substantially in the organisation and integration of these forms of support. This study addresses this gap by employing a qualitative comparative documentary research design to examine student entrepreneurship support across ten highly ranked universities and to benchmark documented practices against a focal university. Drawing on Clark's Entrepreneurial University model, the analysis applies five pathways: strengthened steering core, expanded developmental periphery, diversified funding base, stimulated academic heartland, and integrated entrepreneurial culture. The study examines publicly accessible institutional documents, including entrepreneurship centre webpages, programme descriptions, institutional reports, official news releases, and related materials. The findings indicate that leading universities do not adhere to a single model of student entrepreneurship support. Instead, they combine entrepreneurship education, experiential learning, mentoring, venture development, funding, infrastructure, networking, and external engagement in varied institutional configurations. The comparison further reveals that the focal university has documented elements corresponding to all five Clark pathways, although the breadth and consistency of publicly available evidence differ across pathways. These findings suggest that benchmarking should prioritise transferable institutional functions rather than direct replication of specific university structures. As the analysis relies exclusively on publicly accessible institutional documentation, the findings reflect the breadth and visibility of documented support and may not capture practices that are implemented but not publicly reported. This study contributes to research on entrepreneurial universities and student entrepreneurship by demonstrating how comparative documentary analysis can identify institutional patterns and provide a context-sensitive foundation for strengthening university entrepreneurship ecosystems.