Sri Lanka often boasts of a well developed ‘free education’ system with education given a significant focus by the State and communities. However, there is much to improve and update in the existing structure, which has been found lacking in shaping the next generation of Sri Lankans to face the challenges of the future. 

One area which deserves attention for reforms is the often-overlooked early childhood education period. According to the World Bank, early childhood is considered to be the period from conception to 5 years of age. Monitoring and managing the milestones for the 0-2 year-olds are well-established in Sri Lanka, with the health sector playing a lead role in ensuring the holistic development of these children. Centre-based Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes for children in the 3-5 age range are less developed. Sri Lanka has around 17,020 ECD centres staffed by 29,340 teachers. Around 84 percent of these centres are under non-state management.

Early childhood education is crucial because it lays the foundation for a child's future academic, social, and emotional development. It's a period of rapid brain development, and high-quality early education can significantly enhance a child's cognitive, social, and emotional skills. This period is when children form crucial relationships with teachers, peers, and parents, fostering essential social and emotional skills.

However, access to early childhood education remains out of reach for many children in Sri Lanka due to high costs. This was recently flagged by the Human Rights Watch May 2025 statement. According to them, while primary education is often constitutionally protected, early childhood education receives little legal attention and is rarely free. Our nation has long legislated that public education be free at the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. However, pre-primary institutions charge fees, and this impacts many who are currently on or under the poverty line in Sri Lanka. The cost of early childhood education acts to block its access to families living below the poverty line. Several preschool teachers The Daily Morning spoke to acknowledge the issue, pointing out that they have observed children’s attendance drop and fees are due, or after fee payment due to financial difficulties faced by the parents. “Since there is no effective support financially or otherwise from the State for our classes, we have no choice but to charge a fee from all students. It is heartbreaking to see the empty chairs because you know these children, like those who cannot afford it, have so much potential but are unable to afford the fees. Multiple governments have also acknowledged the situation, with the present Government pledging to reform the sector. According to Human Rights Watch as per government data in 2018, just under 20% of preschools are public, while others charge tuition fees.

With an evolving employment market and changes in industry and commerce, education of the future generation of Sri Lankans should not be taken lightly. Also, being unable to afford basic early childhood education should not disadvantage a child for life. The human rights watchdog has pointed out the absence of early education has long-term effects, citing a primary school head who observed that 70% of new students lacked pre-primary exposure and struggled with learning. Further, pre-primary education is crucial for children with learning and physical disabilities, and early exposure could strengthen the capacity to benefit from education and reduce stigmatisation and discrimination against children with special needs.

As such, this often-overlooked segment of a child's development and education deserves the urgent attention of lawmakers and the Government. Sri Lanka can ill-afford to leave the sector in the state it is currently in and also should work actively to prevent circumstances of poverty denying children a valuable component of their education and future opportunities.