Urgent implementation to deliver quality education for all in Sri Lanka

The article intends to encourage and stimulate policy and decision makers in the current government to take timely action, so that delivery of quality education for all can make rapid progress during a five-year period mainly through adjustments in the approaches to governance and delivery of services within the existing systems. The challenge for the Government is to ensure implementation of the proposed reforms.

Increased funding on education, e.g. 6% of GDP, will not necessarily be the only panacea for addressing all ills in education. It is imperative to have an effective, evidence and outcome based (with clear, realistic performance indicators) action plans in the short, medium and long term and to find ways of sustaining that momentum. Extra funding has to be complemented by comprehensive holistic reforms cutting through sector wide in education including in training and skills development.

Learning outcomes should comprise subject specific outcomes, as well as outcomes in transferable skills, which must be made the central goal of education policy to develop the skills needed for the 21st century, such as critical and creative thinking, use of information technology, ability to organise, gather, analyse and synthesise information, draw appropriate conclusions, communicate effectively, have strong numeric and generic skills and a holistic well rounded personal growth to become a good, confident and peace loving citizen of the world. Therefore, rather than simply adding staff and facilities, there is now a need to understand and improve the dynamics of the teaching and learning processes.

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