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| Wednesday, 11 February 2004 |
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by Manjula Fernando The National Education Commission has warned that the continuous reduction of education expenditure would imperil the country's development. In a report issued recently the NEC, the national advisory body on education, has stressed that the present excellent social indicators which have kept Sri Lanka ahead of others in the region reflected long-term plans and high investments on education by our predecessors several decades ago. "Socioeconomic development of any country is largely dependant on the education levels of the population," the NEC has observed, adding that Sri Lanka is spending less than the 3.5 per cent average GDP expenditure prescribed for Asia and the 3.9 per cent mean for developing countries. A developing country must spend at least 15 per cent of the total budget for education. Unfortunately the budgetary allocation for education in Sri Lanka is one of the lowest among the developing nations. According to the Education Ministry, from 1997 to 2002 the expenditure on education as a percentage of GDP (Gross Domestic Product) has been 2.9, 2.98, 3.07, 2.89, 3.06 and 2.86 respectively. This has been around five per cent during the 1950s and 1960s. Expenditure on education as a percentage of total government expenditure has been maintained in the range of 8 per cent during 1992 to 1998. There has been an increase of about 1 per cent (9.23%) in 1999 followed by a drop from 2000 to 2002, 7.23%, 7.99% and 6.75 %. In the 1950s and 1960s, the government has allocated an average of 15 per cent for education, out of its total budget. The NEC report prepared after an in-depth two-year study has advised education authorities to take urgent steps to raise the budgetary allocation on education since the decline, especially over the last two decades, has led to a deterioration in the standards and quality of education at all levels. |
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