Education, Education, Education

Something that has struck many visitors to Sri Lanka is the importance the people here place on education. For a developing or middle income country, it has a very high literacy rate and the vast majority of children finish school. Academic and vocational education is seen as the quickest route to success in Sri Lankan society.

It is quite striking that the pupils are always immaculately presented in their white uniforms, no matter how rural their home or route to school is.

































Also, the infrastructure is very simple, and classrooms can be outdated with a lack of suitable equipment.


Good teachers can make up for the poor environment and this sari-clad Miss recently won a prize from our organisation for her dedication in teaching technical education in a rural town. My NGO also provides accredited vocational training to young people in the Weeraketiya area, so they can find jobs in TV and Radio repair, or go on to further study. Because of high levels of youth unemployment in our area, the pupils are also in competition with each other for training places and jobs.



















If you have the money here you can supplement your schooling with night classes and tuition. There is fierce competition between private teachers who can make a good living providing cramming sessions to huge groups of students.

In order to attract the business the teachers put up garish posters all around the town. It might look like an advert for a club night or rock concert, but in fact this poster is advertising Mr Wijaya and Mr Janaka's Pure and Applied Maths Class!
















So, Sri Lanka's social and educational programmes have given a whole generation opportunities in eduction. Whether they are able to use these will depend on how the country develops and grows over the next few years.