With the Government preparing to launch major education reforms in 2026, the country finally seems ready to confront the systemic failures that have been plaguing its schooling system for generations.
The statistics that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake presented to Parliament last Thursday paint an alarming picture. Student dropouts have surged from 16,673 in 2019 to over 20,700 by 2022. Nearly 47,000 students move out of the education system between Grade 1 enrollment and G.C.E (O/L) examinations. Several schools function with a few students. These figures tell a story much bigger than administrative failures. They point to a crisis that’s slowly destroying our capacity to build human capital.
The UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 calls for inclusive, quality education for all. While Sri Lanka does offer free education, we have to ask ourselves: are we actually realising its full potential and benefits? Are we ensuring that students stay in school to complete their education? As we embark on these major educational reforms, it’s crucial that opportunity translates into sustained engagement and genuine achievement for every single learner.
The authorities are hopeful that the reforms spearheaded by Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya will modernise education and prepare students for life beyond the classroom. The biggest change is cutting the school cycle from 13 to 12 grades, meaning that children could finish their entire education—pre-school included—in 17 years. This streamlining addresses a key inefficiency that has long burdened students, families, and the education system itself, without necessarily improving outcomes.
The President makes a valid point that education reform isn’t just about rewriting syllabi. What we really need is balanced learning that doesn’t bury students under excessive coursework or force them into private tuition dependency. True transformation demands a fundamental shift from rote memorisation to meaningful learning experiences.
The dropout crisis that President Dissanayake has identified as a national emergency demands our immediate attention. The proposed intervention requiring personal follow-up for students missing three consecutive days represents a significant shift towards proactive student retention. This approach recognises something important: dropouts rarely happen overnight. They result from accumulating disadvantages that, if we identify them early enough, can be addressed before students drop out entirely from the system.
Equally critical is confronting the persistent accusation that Sri Lanka’s existing system simply fails to produce innovative students. As educationists frequently point out, innovation just cannot flourish in a largely exam-oriented, book-cramming educational environment that prioritises rote memorisation over creative thinking and problem-solving. The focus on information technology education is particularly urgent, since the digital divide has become such a significant barrier to student success—something that was especially highlighted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya recently addressed those long-standing criticisms about Sri Lanka producing too many Arts and Humanities graduates who struggle with employment due to limited soft skills. However, she identified what might be the real root cause: our school system artificially separates STEM and Humanities subjects. Many schools simply can’t offer advanced Science and Mathematics, which forces students into arts streams by necessity rather than actual preference.
International examples offer some valuable lessons for implementation. Finland’s success stems from emphasising equity over excellence and student-centred learning through hands-on activities. New Zealand’s curriculum focuses on critical thinking, creativity, and collaboration integrated through all levels. These systems demonstrate that moving away from standardised testing towards more personalised, student-centred approaches can produce remarkable results.
As the President has emphasised, our society must elevate the professional status of careers beyond the traditional doctor-engineer paradigm, ensuring that other professions aren’t viewed as consolation prizes. The reform framework’s emphasis on modernising school education, enhancing teacher training, and advancing technical education addresses areas where we have fallen dangerously behind our regional competitors.
Critics might say that reducing grades from 13 to 12 represents a lowering of standards, but this perspective really misses the fundamental point. Our current system’s length hasn’t translated into superior outcomes—instead, it has created a protracted process that loses thousands of students along the way.
The 2026 launch timeline does provide adequate preparation time, but the Government must use this period wisely. Community consultation, teacher retraining, and infrastructure adaptation are essential. These reforms also require careful monitoring mechanisms to ensure that structural changes translate into improved learning outcomes rather than merely administrative reorganisation.
President Dissanayake’s warning that “We are failing our children” captures exactly the urgency these numbers demand. The success of these reforms will determine whether Sri Lanka can rebuild its human capital foundation or keep sliding backwards. Getting this right isn’t just important – it’s everything. Our children deserve better, and our country’s future hangs in the balance.
