M N MOHAMED
COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s Education system faces huge challenges in the face of current economic crisis.
Sri Lanka expected is to implement new Educational reforms in 2023 ,but the authories have faced huge challenges towards its implementation process caused by high cost of printing materials among other things.
The current fuel crisis has closed down considerable number of schools and while some others are partially functioning with the controversial online education .Though some officials are contemplating on implementing the Home Based Learning (HBL) method, the high cost of printing materials involved in it has become a big challenge towards its implementation.
In the past Islamic Arab countries helped Sri Lanka on numerous occasions in various fields, such as the construction of bridges and hydropower projects. but such assistance didn’t not focus on education .Its high time that these countries focused its attention towards contributing Sri Lanka’s education System , Most of Educationists believe that proper educational development is the only way by which the country’s long term problems could be resolved .
On the other hand,global financial crisis is expected to worsen in the coming years. Sri Lanka’s Education system will face huge problems ,as the country introduces 5 Year no-pay leave for State employees ,causing large number of teachers and educationist opting to migrate to other countries
. However the government does not have the financial capacity to appoint new teachers as its financial crisis has deepened
.
Though Asian Development Bank and Some oth er international partners continue to help the Education sector in Sri Lanka ,it is hardly sufficient to overcome the current problems .
Sri Lanka appointed three Education Ministers in the past two and half years indicating the scale of the problems in the sector.
Currently (as of 2021) there are 10,155 government schools (373 national schools and 9,782 provincial schools) with a student population of 4.2 million and 235,924teachers,.Additionally there are 736 Pirivenas and 104 private schools with 127,968 students.Hence,it is not an easy task to manage this huge number of Schools in the face of current financial crisis .
In October 1945, the Free Education Policy came into effect; stating that every child above the age of 5 and not more than 16 is entitled to free education.
This has benefited generations of students and has enabled. Sri Lanka to succeed in achieving the Millennium Development Goal of Universal Education.however, the free education system has nearly collapsed by now as the Government Schools are not functioning continuously since Easter Bomb attack and Covid 19 Pandemic .
Current Crisis Gradually and speedily loses faith in Government School Education system in the country .Hence International community and Arab Nations could help maintain the free Education system in the country .
