For many years, the Government has been aware of the presence of nearly 1,400 schools in Sri Lanka with fewer than 50 students. Most of these schools are in rural and remote areas. All the schools are primary schools with classes from Grades 1 to 5.

It has been reported that more than a few hundred of such schools are at risk of permanently closing down. Of the 1,400 such schools, the Northern Province has the highest number (275), followed by the Central Province (240), the Sabaragamuwa Province (230), the Uva Province (158), the Eastern Province (141), the North Western Province (133), the Southern Province (125), the North Central Province (111), and the Western Province (73). 

Authorities have been debating if they should close schools with low enrolment and relocate students to nearby schools. Earlier this year, education authorities revealed that there were also 1,506 schools with less than 60 students enrolled. As such, the scale of the problem is quite large, with nearly 90,000 students depending on such schools for their basic education. Authorities had been instructed by the President to assess the quality of education in these schools.

In Sri Lanka, despite shortcomings in the State education system, there is widespread support and commitment to ensure that all students complete some level of formal education. As such, there has been community and professional push back about the State considering closing some of the 1,400 schools that have less than 50 students enrolled. Parents and residents close to such schools have long called for more resources and support to keep the institutions going. 

However, limited resources committed to education over the last two decades and poor policy prioritisation have seen many such schools lacking adequate staff and infrastructure as well. The impact of demographic change, urbanisation, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and prolonged effects of the economic crisis have seen school attendance take a significant hit over the last few years, with educators and analysts warning about increasing school dropouts.  

Such an environment compounds the challenges facing teachers and principals in keeping the student population focused on studies and ensuring regular attendance. As such, the issue cannot be resolved only by pushing State resources to keep such low attendance schools functioning; instead, a broad approach is needed with multiple Government and civil society stakeholders working together to ensure students have access to education and a conducive environment to learn.

The Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) recently expressed opposition to the reported plan, warning that transferring students to nearby schools would increase overcrowding in urban classrooms. “Closing schools is not a solution. Moving children into larger schools will not work. The best approach is to develop small schools so that children remain in their local schools, instead of seeking admission to schools in urban areas,” CPU President Piyasiri Fernando recently told The Daily Morning. 

Yesterday (27), the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education stated that there was no uniform decision to close all such schools, and that necessary decisions would be made based on the circumstances of each school. Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa told The Daily Morning that decisions are taken on a case-by-case basis. “There is no preparation to close all schools with a lesser number of students. First, we develop a school in the respective education zone, and only then we will decide. There is no purpose in maintaining certain schools with fewer students when there are other schools in the area. In such instances, we may close them,” he said.

It would be prudent to have wide stakeholder engagement and to develop a strategic plan to best address the issue, where students are encouraged to continue and complete their formal education, and do so as close to home as possible. Sri Lanka’s most valuable resource is its human resource, and with the population curve on the decline, the island can ill afford to not educate its future generations.