The vast majority of students in Sri Lanka who passed their advanced level (A/L) examinations this year will not obtain a university place. Of the 199,000 young people who sat the exams, 126,000 are eligible to enter a university, but only around 20,000 will have the chance to do so. Of those who miss out, several thousand may enter costly private institutions, but most will join the unemployment queues.
According to a government labour force survey, the unemployment rate increased 5.5 percent to 6.2 percent between mid-2008 to mid-2009. Unemployment among those who passed the A/L exam and above is 27.8 percent in 2009. Female unemployment in that level is 42 percent. In the decade since 1998, the share of unemployment among youth with A/L qualifications increased by 8.8 percent to 31.9 percent in 2008.
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