• The index shows SL showing several notable strengths and a higher-than-average score in the myriad aspects of knowledge development 

Although Sri Lanka as a country is yet to improve in many aspects of knowledge development, according to the Global Knowledge Index (GKI) 2022, it has shown several notable strengths and possesses a greater average score than the world average in many areas of knowledge development. 

The GKI 2022, compiled by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation, assesses seven sub-indices for their correlative interactive relationships and their centrality to the process of cognitive and developmental progress. These sub-indices are pre-university education; technical and vocational education and training (TVET); higher education; research, development, and innovation (RDI); information and communications technology (ICT); economy; and an enabling environment.

Sri Lanka’s place in the GKI 2022

The GKI 2022 ranked Sri Lanka 79th out of 132 countries, and 16th out of the 28 countries with high human development, with a score of 43.4. With regard to the country’s performance, it said that Sri Lanka is a moderate performer in terms of its knowledge infrastructure.

Sri Lanka was ranked 75th in pre-university education. Under its sub-pillar “knowledge capital”, the country was ranked 49th in the world (43rd place in enrollment, 34th in the completion of pre-university education, 52nd in outcomes of pre-university education), and under “educational enabling environment”, the country was ranked 94th in the world (118th in expenditure, 68th in the provision of resources, and 33rd in early learning). Sri Lanka’s average score in the “educational enabling environment” was 53.8, in a context where the world average was 44.1.

Under TVET, the country was ranked 56th. Under the sub-pillars “TVET components”, Sri Lanka was ranked 81st in the world (66th in continuous training and skilling, 90th in TVET structure, and 73rd in TVET quality and qualifications), and under “TVET labour market”, it was ranked 41st (41st in the efficiency of the labour market, 23rd in post-TVET employment, and 77th in equality and inclusiveness).

Under the sub-indices “higher education”, Sri Lanka was ranked 87th in the world. It was ranked 116th in the provision of “inputs” (72nd in expenditure, 88th in enrollment, and 115th in resources), 53rd in “learning environment” (60th in diversity and academic freedom), and 77th in “outputs” (98th in the educational attainment rate, 47th in employment, and 29th in impact). Sri Lanka’s average score in “learning environment” was 52.6 as opposed to the world average of 49.9.

The GKI 2022 ranked Sri Lanka 71st in research and development (R&D) and innovation. The country was ranked 76th in “inputs” (102nd in inputs of R&D institutions, 68th in inputs of RDI in business enterprises, and 42nd in inputs of societal innovation), 64th in “outputs” (49th in outputs of R&D institutions, 93rd in outputs of RDI in business enterprises, and 61st in outputs of societal innovation), and 74th in “impact” (73rd in quality, 51st in linkages, and 75th in business development).

When it comes to ICT, Sri Lanka was ranked 88th in the world. The GKI 2022 ranked the country 76th under “infrastructure” (93rd in coverage, 91st in quality, and 32nd in affordability), 84th in “access” (89th in subscriptions and 67th skills and employment), and 103rd in “usage” (106th in services and 96th in outcomes).

With regard to the sub-indices of “economy”, under which Sri Lanka was ranked 83rd, the GKI 2022 ranked Sri Lanka 56th under “economic competitiveness” (112th in infrastructure investment, and 38th in business agility), 103rd in “economic openness” (65th in trade and diversification, and 118th in financial openness), and 83rd in “financing and domestic value added” (95th in financing and taxes, and 65th in domestic value added).

Sri Lanka was ranked 70th under “enabling environment”. It was ranked 72nd in “governance” (76th in political environment, and 68th in the quality of institutions), 107th in “social-economic situation” (132nd in gender equality, 84th in social inclusion, and 33rd in the standard of living), and 15th in health and environment (60th in health, and 34th in environmental performance).

The country’s average score for health and environment was 72.4 while the world average was 64.1.

Strengths

Sri Lanka has a number of strong areas, as per the GKI 2022.

One of the strengths is the poverty headcount ratio (as a percentage of the population), which is the percentage of the population living below the national poverty line. National estimates are based on population-weighted subgroup estimates from household surveys.

The net enrollment rate in lower secondary education is the total number of students of the official age group for lower secondary education who are enrolled, expressed as a percentage of the corresponding population, and this variable measures the actual school participation of the official school-age population for lower secondary education.

Citable documents per R&D personnel in higher education are one of Sri Lanka’s strengths. “Citable documents refer to the number of citable documents published by a journal in the three previous years (selected year documents are excluded). Exclusively, articles, reviews and conference papers are considered. Total R&D personnel in higher education refers to all persons engaged directly in R&D, whether employed by the statistical unit or external contributors fully integrated into the statistical unit’s R&D activities, as well as those providing direct services for R&D activities (such as R&D managers, administrators, technicians, and clerical staff) in higher education. In the context of R&D statistics, the higher education sector comprises: (i) all universities, colleges of technology, and other institutions providing formal tertiary education programmes (i.e. International Standard Classification of Education [ISCED] levels five to eight), whatever their source of finance or legal status; and (ii) all research institutes, centres, experimental stations, and clinics that have their R&D activities under the direct control of, or are administered by, tertiary education institutions.”

Among Sri Lanka’s other strengths is the participation of individuals with higher educational levels in the country’s labour force. The labour force participation rate with short-cycle tertiary education, one such strength, measures the labour force participation rate for persons who attained a short-cycle tertiary education level. 

With regard to the labour force participation rate with advanced education, the GKI 2022 noted: “The labour force participation rate with an advanced level of education (ISCED levels five to eight) is the labour force with an advanced level education as a percentage of the working age population with an advanced level of education. The labour force comprises all persons of working age who furnish the supply of labour for the production of goods and services during a specified time reference period. It refers to the sum of all persons of working age who are employed, and those who are unemployed; while advanced education comprises short-cycle tertiary education, a bachelor’s degree or equivalent education level, a master’s degree or equivalent education level, or a doctoral degree or an equivalent education level, according to the ISCED.”

Areas of improvement

The GKI 2022 highlighted five areas of improvement.

With regard to Government expenditure on vocational education, it added: “Government expenditure on secondary and post-secondary non-tertiary vocational education, expressed as a percentage of the total Government expenditure on all sectors, includes expenditure funded by transfers from international sources to the Government. The expenditure on education refers to the expenditure on core educational goods and services, such as teaching staff, school buildings, or school books and teaching materials, and peripheral educational goods and services such as ancillary services, general administration, and other activities.”

Government expenditure on primary education (as a percentage of the gross domestic product [GDP]) relates to the total general (local, regional, and central) Government expenditure on primary education (current, capital and transfers), expressed as a percentage of the gross GDP, while Government funding per secondary student (as a percentage of the GDP per capita) relates to the total initial funding from the Government (central, regional and local) for secondary education per student enrolled at that level in a given year.

Another such area is the female-to-male ratio in the Parliament, regarding which the GKI 2022 added: “The percentage of women in the Parliament is based on the number of seats held by women members in single or lower chambers of national parliaments, expressed as a percentage of all occupied seats in lower chambers. It is derived by dividing the total number of seats occupied by women by the total number of seats occupied by men in the lower chambers of national parliaments.”

Building quality control is another area of improvement, and it is based on the Building Quality Control Index, which is based on six indices, namely, the quality of the building regulations, quality control before, during, and after the construction, liability and insurance regimes, and professional certification related indices.