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Free education dying slow death
By Nilika Kasturisinghe
While government schools have shut down at the rate of 50 per year, international schools have been opening at a rapid pace with no institution even able to keep track of them.

The Education Ministry, National Institute of Education, Provincial Education Ministries and the Registrar of Companies could not state the total number of international schools operating in the island.

However, since 1998 more than 150 government schools have been closed down. During this time the number of private schools increased only by three.

The statistics unit of the Education Ministry said in 1999 there were 10,057 government schools. In 2000 this figure dropped to 9,976. In 2001 there were 9,891 and by 2002 only 9,826 government schools were in existence.

"Within the next five years 400 schools will have to close down in the Sabaragamuwa Province," Chief Minister Mohan Saliya Ellawela, himself the Education Minister for the Province told The Sunday Times.

He attributed this to the drop in the birth rate and people sending their children to more recognized schools as areas get developed . At present there are 1154 schools in the Sabaragamuwa District but some of them have only 10 or 15 students, he said, adding, "Even in the Colombo District about 30 schools are closing down.

Speaking on the threat to free education Ceylon Teachers Union Spokesman Bertie Ranaweerage said, "A thousand schools have closed down, while every month international schools are opening. Two months into the new school year some students are yet to receive text books and uniform material."

Meanwhile, the mushrooming of international schools is happening with no controls regarding quality nor quantity. There were more than 40 international schools registered at the Registrar of Companies between 1982 and 1997. However, since 1997 despite the mushrooming of international schools, no schools have been registered with the Registrar of Companies.

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