The development of the higher education sector is of central importance to enable Sri Lanka to develop from a Lower-Middle Income Country (LMIC) to an Upper Middle-Income Country (UMIC). Recognizing this, the Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) and the World Bank have agreed, as part of the Bank’s Country Partnership Strategy (CPS) FY17-FY20, to support the higher education sector through a Bank funded Accelerating Higher Education Expansion and Development (AHEAD) operation.