Sri Lanka - Institut de statistique de l'Unesco

Out-of-School Children in Sri Lanka: Country Study
Madhava, a 13-year-old boy from Colombo, does not go to school for two or three days when
there are homework assignments. He is embarrassed to ask his friends for help with school
work. When he returns to school, he often cannot follow the class.
Praveen, a 13-year-old boy from Hikkaduwa, could read more or less normally but could not
write. He was weak in other subjects too. He preferred to stay away from school. He
remained silent in class, when the other children answered.
The class teacher of Sandhya, a nine-year-old girl from Moneragala, says that Sandhya
cannot remember things and sometimes she just stares out sadly in one direction.
Punishments from teachers or parents sometimes prevent children from attending school.
Kalhara, a 14-year-old boy from Nuwara Eliya, is often absent from school because his
teacher punishes him when does not do his homework.
Azra said, “If I go to school without doing my homework, my teacher punishes me. This
hurts me.”
Mahendra says many teachers at school punish him if he doesn’t do his homework. One
teacher is very aggressive and Mahendra is scared of him.
Lalith said he was absent from school for over a week when he had been beaten so badly
by his mother that he could not walk.
Sometimes children attribute irregular attendance to harassment and bullying.
Sudhir says, “My classmates did not like me and I was scared of them.”
Abitha told how the children at school called him names, so he did not like going to school.
Madhavan complained that the other students did not like him and subjected him to
violence. They mocked him and would not play with him or eat their meals with him.
Ill health was a frequent reason for irregular attendance. While some children stated that they
were undergoing treatment, it was not clear whether adequate attention has been given to
improving their health. In addition, some children have psychological or physical problems that
disrupt their schooling.
Azra said, “Whenever I get boils on my hands, I don’t go to school. This happens every two
or three months and lasts for a week or two. Also, when I get my monthly period, it lasts for
nine days and I can’t go to school.”
Samantha, a nine-year-old girl from Badulla, has a problem with faeces passing through
the urethra rather than the anus. This causes not only physical pain but also mental
anguish. Her parents cannot afford corrective surgery for her. She is often absent from
school.
Kolitha, a 13-year-old boy from Ratnapura, has had several surgeries on his stomach and
has to attend a clinic once a week. This takes time and is expensive too.
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