The prevailing socio-economic crisis and the Covid pandemic before it, impacted almost every demography in Sri Lanka. While many are slowly recovering, moving towards stabilising gradually, the education sector which was seriously affected, appears to be struggling to find its feet. Instead of making progress, there is concern that students are being held hostage as education authorities and education sector trade unions continue to lock horns over exam marking and the fees allocated for the effort. Despite lengthy discussions between authorities and the education sector trade unions, the strike actions that were triggered by several factors, particularly that of the economic hardships faced by teachers, and slow progress on solutions, have threatened to derail school education once again.

Last week, the Ceylon Teachers' Union (CTU) stated that the Ministry of Education should take steps to continue the academic activities of schools that have undergone changes due to various reasons in the past few years as usual, and should conduct the due exams within the relevant period. They opined that the education sector is facing a plethora of issues, at times due to various inadequacies on the part of the education authorities, and that the time has come for the relevant authorities, mainly the Ministry, to prepare a programme to maintain schools and hold exams. Meanwhile, the Federation of University Teachers’ Associations (FUTA), which temporarily called off its strike action which was commenced against the Government’s newly introduced tax policy, stated that they will not participate in 2022 General Certificate of Education Advanced Level (GCE A/L) exam paper marking.

These statements come in a context where teachers have expressed displeasure of the Government’s failure to bring about tangible and effective solutions for the challenges faced by the education sector. That is a reality the Government and the education authorities must take into account. While many students are struggling to acquire the necessary facilities, including basic stationery items for studies, scores of students remain uncertain about continuing their academic activities even if they had those facilities due to the lack of concrete action by the Government and the education authorities. In fact, a large share of the education sector’s plight began over two years ago when the Covid-19 pandemic broke out followed by the economic crisis, with the latter certainly exacerbating it. This situation calls for an approach where all relevant parties admit that the challenges faced by the education sector have already remained for far too long.

The teachers’ issues are predominantly short/medium-term ones that require policy decisions and better funding prioritisation for education. However, students’ education continuing to be disrupted is not a matter that remains unanswered. Such continued disruption risks long-term socio-economic impacts for the country. If the education of our children remains disrupted, it affects the collective futures of us all. In the long term, the country’s workforce will suffer without new skills, knowledge and labour, and our ability to leverage Sri Lankan human resources as a trump card in the services industry will decline. Needless to say, the inability for educators, teachers and the Government to find common ground on the challenges and move forward to ensure uninterrupted education for our children, raises a red flag for a country that is struggling to get out of a massive economic downturn with limited resources.

What is more, youth, and students who are already losing faith in Sri Lanka, will continue to be disappointed by the education sector, and the Government as a whole. This is on top of the socio-economic challenges which already surround their education. It will also impact their employment opportunities, and may push others to seek better pastures by leaving the country for higher educational and employment opportunities.

In this context, despite a range of disagreements and unsolved challenges, the state and the educators must find common ground to address the crisis the education sector is facing. While a large part of this responsibility lies with the Government and the education authorities, all the relevant parties should come together to find immediate remedies, while taking the necessary steps to find long-term solutions. Trying to be right and win disputes should not be done at the cost of students, their education, and their future. Their future is the country’s future.