Sri Lanka has long recognized education as a central pillar of its development journey. Over the past decades, the country has rolled out a series of ambitious reforms through the Education Sector Development Plans (ESDP), aiming to transform the schooling system into one that is more inclusive, relevant, and future-ready. However, despite policy continuity and institutional commitment, many of the targets set in these plans remain unmet, raising critical questions about the pace, direction, and execution of education reform in the country.
The strategic framework laid out by the ESDPs, covering the periods 2010–2025 and 2013–2017, identified four key thrust areas: equitable education for all, improved quality of general education, strengthened stewardship and service delivery, and enhanced evidence-based policymaking. Each of these pillars was supported by quantifiable performance indicators and time-bound targets intended to steer and measure national progress. The Ministry of Education’s Annual Performance Reports have since been used to track these indicators.
Yet, as the data reveals, the sector’s progress has been uneven. Many of the 2017 benchmarks were not met, and the subsequent 2020 revisions notably lowered the aspirations set for 2025. These revisions reflect the real challenges facing policymakers, challenges rooted in systemic constraints, resource limitations, and gaps in implementation capacity. The one notable exception is the advancement in A-Level Science and Technology participation. With the introduction of the Technology stream in schools, the share of students opting for Science and Technology rose from 30 percent in 2014 to 35.1 percent in 2022. While still short of the 40 percent goal, this trajectory signals that well-targeted interventions can produce measurable gains when properly aligned with student aspirations and market needs.
Despite this progress in the science and technology domain, broader sectoral outcomes raise concerns. For instance, improving equity in access remains a stubborn hurdle. Socioeconomic disparities continue to determine who progresses through the system and who gets left behind. Similarly, quality gaps persist in classroom instruction, curriculum delivery, and student performance, challenges that are compounded by the prevailing dependence on private tutoring, teacher shortages, and inadequate learning resources, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
Moreover, stewardship and service delivery reforms have been slow to take hold. Efforts to decentralize decision-making, strengthen school management, and professionalize education administration have been piecemeal. In the absence of robust monitoring and accountability frameworks, these reforms often lose momentum after their initial rollout. The promise of evidence-based policymaking, too, remains largely aspirational. Reliable, disaggregated data on student performance, teacher effectiveness, and resource allocation is still lacking. Without such data, it is difficult to evaluate what is working, what isn’t, and why.
These challenges point to a larger truth: that policy intent alone is not enough. Transforming the education sector requires not just technical plans but political will, institutional capacity, and consistent investment. Most importantly, it demands a shift in pedagogical culture. Success lies in rethinking the way teaching and learning are approached. Teachers must be empowered through continuous training, support, and incentives. Students must be encouraged to develop not just exam-oriented knowledge but critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills needed for a dynamic economic and social future.
The performance of the sector also reveals the need for better coordination between ministries, particularly as education outcomes are increasingly influenced by factors such as digital access, nutrition, mental health, and transportation. A whole-of-government approach, one that breaks down institutional silos and engages communities, private sector partners, and civil society, is essential for education reform to succeed.
As Sri Lanka approaches 2025, the original target year of its long-term education development plan, the country finds itself at a crossroads. The progress achieved in expanding the science and technology stream is a reason for cautious optimism. But the shortfalls elsewhere demand introspection and course correction. The real test will be whether Sri Lanka can recalibrate its strategies, reaffirm its commitment to equity and quality, and ultimately deliver an education system that lives up to its vision, not just in numbers, but in outcomes that transform lives.
The nation cannot afford to allow its education ambitions to remain on paper. The stakes are too high, for the students who pass through the system today and for the country that will depend on them tomorrow.
