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How 'free' is Lankan education?

In Sri Lanka, which boasts of a 92 per cent literacy rate, 14 per cent of the child population does not attend school. However, education in Sri Lanka, upto to tertiary level, is still considered to be 'freely' provided.

These glaring contradictions make a mockery of the exaggerated claims of some politicians and decision-makers that we are still a country to be admired, in terms of socio-economic achievements and indicators.

The Samurdhi Ministry, we are given to understand, has taken cognisance of the disturbing 14 per cent non-school going child population and is in the process of providing them with the basic requirements to make it to school. While the Samurdhi Ministry's efforts need to be appreciated, a closer, look needs to be taken at these eye-opening realities.

The question to be broached is: if education at all levels continues to be free, how come this notable non-school going child population? What is preventing parents and elders of the latter from availing of this freely available facility?

We hope these posers would compel our educational authorities to put their thinking caps on. If poverty is preventing some parents from sending their children to school, education could not be said to be free. For, if this represented the literal truth, all children could be provided at least a primary education, regardless of the economic and social standing of parents. However, the Samurdhi Ministry figures indicate that this could not be so. If it were so, we would be having a near hundred per cent recruitment of all school-going age children in the country's schools.

So, the uncomfortable truth has to be countenanced that even primary education has to be obtained at a price. Perhaps, education evades the poorest of the poor. This aspect of the problem needs to be investigated.

However, in tandem with this news comes the disclosure that some provincial schools are being shut down. We have, in the past, tried to ascertain whether these reports have any basis to them, but to no purpose because the educational authorities are yet to make an unambiguous, comprehensive statement about the alleged development.

If schools are indeed being shut down, we consider it a highly bewildering move.

Here are we having a considerable non-school going segment of the child population on our hands but education pundits are considering it proper to close down more and more schools. Whereas what we need is a progressively growing number of schools and almost freely accessible education to resolve this anomaly. We call on the educational authorities to put the record straight on these issues, if they need straightening.

Meanwhile, we need to face some bald but embarrassing facts. Although, essential requirements, such as school text books and school uniforms are provided free by the authorities to our primary and secondary student body, these essentials, apparently, are not the only factors which enable a poor student to access education. These students need, among other things, a full stomach and essential nutrients, to make a school career viable.

Besides, they need a bare minimum of school stationery, desks and chairs and also, very significantly, conscientious teachers, to launch themselves on a school career.

So, the big question is: is 'free' education myth or fact?

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