Last week a senior US diplomat told a forum about US Indo-Pacific policy, that Sri Lanka was a ‘great comeback story’ in the South Asian region and highlighted the collective effort which helped Sri Lanka to move forward from the crisis situation of 2022. The Sri Lanka recovery story, however comes at a cost, every story has one. We often forget them, perhaps because hardly anyone acknowledges them when history is written.
Yes, Sri Lanka should be thankful for all the support it got from regional and global partners who worked tirelessly, mostly behind closed doors, and some through shuttle diplomacy, to improve its situation. Many policy decisions that Sri Lanka had to make to change its downward spiral were necessary. Some, however, were clearly done by the Government for expediency. While as a State, Sri Lanka has deployed a ‘break chute’ and managed to work the tiller to move in a better trajectory, many Sri Lankans have fallen through the cracks. Among them–despite multiple efforts by state entities, local community organisations, and donor agencies–are children from the low income bracket. This group of young Sri Lankans, like the elderly and women, may be the most affected from the prolonged crisis the island nation has had to face in the last few years.
The Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic crisis and political turmoil did unprecedented disruptions to the education of Sri Lankan children, especially those near or below the poverty bracket. For children from such communities, the options to improve their lives are few, and education was the most important path for them to effect meaningful change in their lives. Today, the education of these under privileged children are at risk due to the high cost-of-living, and especially the high cost of education, post crisis.
The recent Value-Added Tax (VAT) increase has imposed an added burden on children’s education, affecting parents’ ability to educate their children. The massive increases in the costs of books, shoes, uniforms, and other school accessories, as well as food expenditure and transport fares, have significantly impacted the education of children. Parents, especially those in the low income bracket, who were struggling to put food on their tables, today (February 2024) are unable to sustain the education of their children. These families have no notches left in their belts to tighten, and being unable to provide for their children’s education, will likely impact the mental health of the parents and child. Some children are dropping out of school and many parents are helpless to stop it. If this situation is allowed to persist, in the long-term, it may lead to negative socio-economic impact in the future.
Bookshops and stationery vendors had in January observed a significant drop in the purchase of school items for the new school year, following the increase in VAT. They observed that ‘book list’ orders, placed by parents before a new school semester, have reduced significantly. Many vendors The Daily Morning spoke to said that the drop in demand will likely push them to import less, which will invariably push prices up, later on this year. One vendor we spoke to said that VAT alone is not to blame, and the cumulative effect of a spike in utility bills and transportation has pushed vendors to increase prices significantly. What all this translates to, as you leave the confines of the Colombo Central business district, and move towards the periphery, where the urban poor and the rural poor suffer fallen through the cracks, is that the quality of education and participation is dropping.
A gander into the social media platforms would give a quick glimpse how teachers and educators from many rural schools reach out community support collectives, non-governmental organisations and donors for assistance to provide stationary, school equipment and exercise books to sustain the education of the children under their care.
In every story, there are winners and losers, but the losers today, in the Sri Lankan education system, had nothing to do with the island’s economic downfall nor the poor governance which got us here. Please think of the children. Reconsider VAT on school stationery, books, shoes and other items that are essential for children to sustain their education. We owe that much to our future generation. Let them learn and better their lives.