Sri Lanka Human Development Report 2012.pdf

CHAPTER
4
Bridging
Human Development Gaps: Education
By helping people achieve their competencies, education
expands the space for human development. 123 Countries
that do well in education do well in terms of human
development: According to the OECD’s comprehensive
world education ranking for the year 2009, 124 the 5 topperforming
countries in education-Canada, Finland,
Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea-are among
the 17 countries with the highest human development
achievements. 125 Education also moulds a country’s social,
cultural and political developments, and in multi-ethnic
societies can build trust and bring diverse people together
to work for common goals. 126
The intrinsic value of education is coupled with its
instrumental and transitional values: enlarging the
national pie, powering upward socioeconomic and
political mobility, shattering gender-related barriers,
positively influencing the use of health services, and
bettering knowledge on child nutrition, etc. 127
In the modern global economy, needed competencies and
capabilities are constantly changing, marked by overall
increased demand for ‘expert-thinking’ 128 and ‘complexcommunication’.
129 Building these skills starts with a
solid foundation of reading, writing, mathematics, and
the sciences, including technology, but also depends on
opportunities for more sophisticated learning, education
and research.
Education for Human Development
Sri Lanka’s education attainment levels are high, if judged
by basic indicators such as literacy, access to primary
education and education completion rates. Adult literacy
reached 91 percent in 2008, 130 and Sri Lanka has almost
achieved the MDG targets for universal primary education
and gender equity in education. In 2006, it attained a
primary enrolment rate of 97.5 percent, and practically
reached gender parity in primary education, with the
ratio of girls to boys at 99 percent. 131 Despite being a
lower middle-income country, Sri Lanka is often cited as a
nation with high educational achievements.
New challenges have come in providing quality education
that is relevant to a modern economy and the lifestyles of
Sri Lankans today. Shortages of certain kinds of skills may
only grow as the country moves towards a knowledgebased
economy. This needs to be redressed quickly to
preserve competitive advantages and reduce the tendency
of very skilled people to leave the country.
Like all developing nations, Sri Lanka will have to improve
the quality and relevance of tertiary education, and prepare
workers with the advanced skills sets that a competitive
economy demands. Present government development
policy aims to reposition Sri Lanka in the global arena as a
middle-income country with a strong knowledge base and
improved living standards. The government development
policy framework, ‘Mahinda Chintana—Vision for the
Future’, has identified five focus areas: naval, aviation,
commerce, energy and knowledge. 132
A principal issue, however, is the need to bridge the
mismatch between skills acquired through the education
system and the requirements of the labour market. 133 A
2003 sector review by the National Education Commission
found that the system has failed to enhance the quality
and relevance of education, and thus to prepare people
adequately for work. 134 This chapter examines Sri Lanka’s
successes and limitations in meeting these challenges.
Delivery of Education Services
The general education system provides 13 years in three
cycles: primary (grades 1-5), junior secondary (grades 6-
9), senior secondary (grades 10-11), and collegiate (grades
12-13). All children aged 5 to 14 must complete the
primary and junior secondary education cycles. 135 Two
national level examinations—the General Certificates
of Education Ordinary (O-Levels) and Advanced (A-
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