Education is more than just a public service, it is a catalyst for national development, individual empowerment, and economic progress. Sri Lanka has made significant strides in providing access to general education, particularly for children within the compulsory schooling age. Yet beneath the surface of these achievements lies a deeper challenge: ensuring that every child, regardless of background or geography, receives a meaningful education that prepares them for productive lives in a dynamic global economy.
As a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals, Sri Lanka has pledged to deliver inclusive, equitable, and quality education for all. But the current reality falls short of this promise. Vulnerable populations, especially children with special needs, those in rural and estate communities, and youth from low-income households, remain underrepresented in the education system, particularly beyond the age of 16. These gaps reflect not only limitations in access but also structural weaknesses in education delivery, governance, and long-term planning.
The greatest challenge is not just getting children into classrooms but ensuring they learn. Despite various reforms over the past decade, student learning outcomes continue to lag behind expectations. The country’s medium-term education development plans have repeatedly identified low achievement levels as a critical issue, but efforts to address the problem have been slowed by underfunding, a shortage of qualified teachers, and persistent difficulties in deploying educators to underserved areas.
Sri Lanka’s economic challenges have only compounded these issues. With limited fiscal space, the government cannot significantly increase public education spending in the short term. Many welfare schemes aimed at supporting disadvantaged students, such as school meals, transportation, or learning materials, are increasingly constrained by budgetary pressures. In this context, local and international donor assistance has become vital. Yet, securing such support requires more than requests for funding, it requires transparent, data-driven insights into where the system is failing and how targeted interventions can create measurable improvements.
The Ministry of Education has taken steps to improve its information systems and data collection practices, but these efforts must be scaled and better integrated into policymaking. Accurate and timely data on enrolment, learning outcomes, and teacher distribution are essential to making informed decisions and building trust with stakeholders, including donors and communities.
One area with clear potential is the strategic use of education technology. Across Asia, EdTech solutions have been used to support remote learning, assist special needs children, and enhance classroom engagement, even with limited resources. Sri Lanka’s own platform, E-Thaksalawa, is a promising start, but it remains underutilized. A broader and more innovative application of technology could help bridge the urban-rural divide, improve teacher effectiveness, and ensure continuity of learning during disruptions like those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the promise of EdTech and other innovations cannot be realized without fundamental changes in governance. The current management structure of the education sector is fragmented and slow to respond to emerging needs. Political instability and frequent restructuring of the Ministry of Education have undermined continuity and hindered long-term reforms. To ensure sustainability, Sri Lanka needs to institutionalize its education leadership and empower it with greater authority and accountability. This includes insulating key policy decisions from political cycles and creating permanent institutional frameworks that can oversee reform implementation irrespective of regime change.
A crucial part of this transformation is stakeholder engagement. Any significant policy shift—whether in curriculum reform, decentralization, or resource allocation, must be built on consultation with those most affected: teachers, parents, students, and local administrators. Without their involvement, even the best-designed policies may face resistance or fall short in execution.
As Sri Lanka navigates economic recovery and demographic transition, its education sector must adapt to new realities. The country cannot rely on a model built for the past. It must embrace a vision of lifelong learning, inclusive innovation, and equitable opportunity, backed by efficient management and responsive policy. Only then can education become what it is truly meant to be: the foundation upon which a nation builds its future.
