July 24, Colombo (LNW): In a forceful address to Parliament during a debate on education reform, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has urged lawmakers to undertake sweeping changes to Sri Lanka’s schooling system, citing an alarming rise in student dropouts and a sharp decline in enrolment across hundreds of state-run schools.
The President painted a stark picture of the challenges facing the country’s education sector, pointing out that thousands of children continue to fall through the cracks before completing their formal education. According to figures he presented, the number of school dropouts rose from 16,673 in 2019 to over 20,700 by 2022, with little improvement seen in 2024.
“No child should leave school before completing their full 13 years of education,” he declared, stressing that the future of the nation hinges on an educated and empowered younger generation.
Drawing attention to the cohort of children born in 2006, he noted that although more than 358,000 students entered Grade 1 in 2011, only around 311,000 eventually sat for their Ordinary Level (O/L) exams a decade later in 2021. That gap of nearly 47,000 students, he said, could not be dismissed. Whilst a fraction may have opted for private education or overseas schooling, he warned that the majority likely represent dropouts—a worrying trend with long-term social and economic consequences.
The President called on teachers to play a more active role in student retention, insisting that any child who misses three consecutive school days must be personally followed up. “We cannot afford to be indifferent. Every absence must be treated with urgency. A missing child is a warning sign,” he said.
The President also highlighted the dire state of underpopulated schools, describing them as a reflection of deep-rooted inefficiencies and regional disparities. In 2023 alone, 98 state schools recorded zero new admissions. Hundreds more are operating on the margins: 115 schools have fewer than 10 students, 406 fewer than 20, and over 1,500 schools are functioning with fewer than 50 students.
He revealed that nearly one-third of government schools have enrolments of under 100 pupils, and approximately 15 per cent have fewer than 50 students. Children in such schools, he warned, miss out on vital aspects of the learning experience—including extracurricular activities, social interaction, and healthy competition.
“Isolated and poorly resourced, these children are deprived not just of a complete education, but of a proper childhood,” the President stated. “We must ask ourselves whether this is the system we want to preserve.”
Acknowledging that uncomfortable decisions may lie ahead, Dissanayake suggested that some schools may have to be merged or closed entirely, whilst others will need to be established in currently underserved regions to rebalance the distribution of educational resources.
He also criticised the glaring mismatch between student numbers and teaching staff in many rural areas. In one striking example, he mentioned a school in Kuchchaveli with only two students and two teachers; another in Bandarawela with three pupils and three teachers; and yet another in Trincomalee where four teachers are assigned to just four students. Such ratios, he said, are a clear sign of resource mismanagement and must be addressed if the education system is to become more efficient and equitable.
President Dissanayake closed his remarks by calling on Parliament to set aside political divisions and treat education reform as a national priority. “We are failing our children,” he warned. “It is time to act decisively, before the cost of inaction becomes irreversible.”
