Sri Lanka often boasts about its ‘free’ (taxpayer-funded) public education system and its contribution to the rise of the nation’s post-independence. While the State education system has delivered much progress and helped elevate millions out of poverty, the system’s shortcomings and structural failures have been well documented for decades. The latest round of education reforms which the Government plans to roll out will be hotly debated, and rightfully so. Nevertheless, one of the key areas in education which has often been neglected and less discussed is that of early childhood education. In Sri Lanka the system of preschool education is loosely structured and severely underdeveloped and under-resourced.

Yesterday, the National Preschool Teachers’ Union urged the Government to devise a programme to support preschool teachers’ economic wellbeing, including through supporting those who retire after decades of service. The union’s president lamented that election promises by the Government to increase the allowance given to preschool teachers (which only a segment of the teachers receives) has been cancelled. The union’s leadership, during a press conference held yesterday charged that while the Government is introducing much needed education reforms, the plight of preschool teachers has not been given adequate attention.

Early childhood education is a vital part of a child’s upbringing and has personal, community, social and national implications if not delivered properly. Such types of early education form the first stage for young children to acquire life skills to prepare them for school and day-to-day life. As such, in many countries pre-school education is taken seriously, and is well-planned, resourced and regulated. However, in Sri Lanka, preschools have widespread disparities in standards across the country in the absence of a cohesive State policy on preschool education. Last year The Sunday Morning reported that, according to authorities, only 6,000 out of 34,000 preschool teachers and assistant teachers in Sri Lanka possessed diplomas. It was highlighted that there were nearly 18,800 preschools across the country, which were of five types, as privately-run preschools, those operated by organisations, those under Provincial Councils, preschools associated with leading schools, and those run by international schools. According to a 2024 UNICEF report, 20% of children who should have access to preschool education were deprived of it as of mid-last year.

The UN agency UNICEF reported that due to a large majority of preschools in Sri Lanka, being privately-owned and managed, many parents find that they simply cannot afford to educate their children. The schools themselves are largely unregulated and not standardised. With lack of resources and technical guidance, they are unable to provide consistency in content or quality of the education, across the country. UNICEF also pointed out that only around 39% of all preschool teachers have received at least one year of professional training, and their working conditions are not on a par with their counterparts who work in primary or secondary education. Furthermore, preschool curricula are not comprehensive and tend to be lacking when it comes to promoting positive behaviours (such as drinking safe water or washing hands). It has also been observed that there is insufficient focus on the stimulation of fine motoric, socio-emotional or cognitive competencies. “Sri Lanka’s patchwork of preschool education standards, curricula and administration systems has resulted in poor or mediocre learning that fail many children and prevent them from realising their full potential. A coordinated effort is therefore needed to ensure that the Early Learning Development Standards (ECDS) are implemented nationwide so that all young children have an equal opportunity to develop the skills and competencies that will prepare them for school life and beyond,” the UNICEF said.

Given that Sri Lanka places significance on developing its services sector to ensure future economic growth, and resilience, early childhood education deserves the closer attention of the Government. Investment, sound policies and effective regulation of the pre-school system would be beneficial in the long run. The challenges faced by this segment of the education system are significant and warrant a robust survey, review and reform. The future of the education system and the island may well be dependent on how this crisis is addressed today.