Sri Lanka Educational Background
Fortunately for the students of Sri Lanka, and unfortunately, for the Project, the students are enjoying their summer holidays at the same time that I am here to visit some schools. Thus, all I have been able to manage up until this point is to talk to parents and observe the buildings from the outside. I have also done some research into the background of the educational system here in beautiful Sri Lanka. The overall impression that I get is very impressive; in regular communication with Sri Lankans on the street, the general grasp of the English language (a valid indicator of educational progress seeing that this is one of the languages taught in the Sri Lankan curriculum) is quite high. Though there are variances, clearly indicators of socioeconomic status in a developing country, the general air of the school buildings is impressive; they seem to be well maintained and in good working order. I am anxious to enter some of these buildings and see them from the inside, but this will have to wait at least another week until the vacations are finished. Until then, here is some background information on the education system.
Sri Lanka spends 5.4% of its GDP on education, and figure that is quite high in comparison to other developing nations. The literacy rate in the country is a very impressive 92%, which is the highest in South Asia and one of the highest in Asia, a very impressive fact for a developing country in a region that includes economic powerhouses such as South Korea and China. The education system in the country has a long history, starting with Buddhist monastic colleges established many centuries B.C. by the Buddhist kings of the era. In 1938, after many centuries of colonial rule and about a decade before self governance, schools in Sri Lanka were made free to citizens by government decree. Education in the country is compulsory until grade 9 (age 14), at which time students can decide to continue with school or to drop out. Currently in Sri Lanka, there are three separate types of schools: National Schools, which fall under the jurisdiction of the national Ministry of Education and tend to be the "elite" institutions; Provincial Schools, which fall under the control of local governments, and are more challenged by budgetary constraints, and private/international schools, which do not fall under the jurisdiction of the government of Sri Lanka. Tertiary education in Sri Lanka is also free to students, but extremely competitive, and many of the graduates of these institutions remains unemployed due to weak demand in the domestic job market. Less that 16% of applicants to these universities are admitted, and less than half of those admitted graduate. Admission is based on a very highly competitive national examination. To combat some of these issues, the Ministry of Education has started vocational training in many parts of the country.
