It is well known by now that Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis carries immense risk of affecting the country in the long term, and that even if the necessary steps are taken to alleviate these impacts, people cannot expect to regain the quality of life they used to enjoy until considerable time has passed for these measures to take effect.
As part of its economic revival, among other things, Sri Lanka has to ensure by any means necessary that some sectors remain operational despite the economic crisis, due to their importance to the country’s survival and revival. Education is one such sector that the country cannot afford to give up on, regardless of the severity of the economic crisis, now or in the future.
However, as was reported by The Morning recently, owing to the severe economic difficulties faced by families, and schools not conducting teaching activities in a proper manner, there has been a tendency among students in senior grades discontinuing their education in lieu of engaging in various forms of employment. It was also reported that most of the students dropping out of schools seeking employment are engaged in various daily-wage jobs, or in the informal sector, such as being engaged in sand mining.
This alarming news comes in a context where the country’s education sector has been crippled by a fuel shortage that has rendered students and teachers unable to travel to schools. While the Government is devising plans to address this issue, the likelihood of the increase in school dropouts calls for a more in-depth national-level discourse, and urgent measures to assess and mitigate how families’ deteriorating economic conditions negatively affect children’s education.
One of the major possible reasons for this situation is children of underprivileged families being required to support their families with an additional income source to pull through the economic crisis. At the same time, schoolchildren’s parents’ decreasing ability to fund their children’s education is a reason for this situation. Even though not directly connected to the household economic aspects, matters such as the mental health of children due to the economic crisis are also matters that require attention, as per a recent Save the Children report on the impacts of the economic crisis on households, which said that one-third of parents and caregivers had reported behavioural changes, in many cases stress-related, among children during the economic crisis.
This is not just an issue that affects children currently studying in schools. This is a matter that has a massive impact on the country’s future, including the economy, because a large part of the economy depends on these children who form the next generation. Children dropping out of school could create an entire generation that has to settle for a low quality of life, especially due to most of them being employed in the informal sector, where job security is low and labour exploitation is high. At the same time, their ability or willingness to provide their own children with a quality education may also be affected, feeding into an unhealthy cycle that will see this issue affecting more than one generation.
Thus it is clear that we need to take steps to address this issue effectively and immediately – not just for the sake of our schoolchildren, but for the future of our country as a whole. With brain drain having already been identified as an issue in the country, we cannot afford to lose out on the talent required to build a more stable future.
Therefore, the Government must take immediate steps to look into the household economies of schoolchildren, and identify what economic issues affect their education and in what way. School- or national-level programmes must be launched to address these issues, and a support system must be established to support school children of underprivileged families. It could be as simple as having a school-level system in place to provide children in need with stationary or establishing a special scholarship scheme. What is more, steps should be taken to address mental health-related issues faced by schoolchildren due to the impacts of the economic crisis on their family members and on the family economy.
Taking appropriate measures without delay to address this issue can help Sri Lanka prevent more school dropouts. Education is a sector and schoolchildren are groups that the country cannot put at risk.Stop the dropouts
02 Aug 2022
Stop the dropouts
02 Aug 2022
It is well known by now that Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis carries immense risk of affecting the country in the long term, and that even if the necessary steps are taken to alleviate these impacts, people cannot expect to regain the quality of life they used to enjoy until considerable time has passed for these measures to take effect.
As part of its economic revival, among other things, Sri Lanka has to ensure by any means necessary that some sectors remain operational despite the economic crisis, due to their importance to the country’s survival and revival. Education is one such sector that the country cannot afford to give up on, regardless of the severity of the economic crisis, now or in the future.
However, as was reported by The Morning recently, owing to the severe economic difficulties faced by families, and schools not conducting teaching activities in a proper manner, there has been a tendency among students in senior grades discontinuing their education in lieu of engaging in various forms of employment. It was also reported that most of the students dropping out of schools seeking employment are engaged in various daily-wage jobs, or in the informal sector, such as being engaged in sand mining.
This alarming news comes in a context where the country’s education sector has been crippled by a fuel shortage that has rendered students and teachers unable to travel to schools. While the Government is devising plans to address this issue, the likelihood of the increase in school dropouts calls for a more in-depth national-level discourse, and urgent measures to assess and mitigate how families’ deteriorating economic conditions negatively affect children’s education.
One of the major possible reasons for this situation is children of underprivileged families being required to support their families with an additional income source to pull through the economic crisis. At the same time, schoolchildren’s parents’ decreasing ability to fund their children’s education is a reason for this situation. Even though not directly connected to the household economic aspects, matters such as the mental health of children due to the economic crisis are also matters that require attention, as per a recent Save the Children report on the impacts of the economic crisis on households, which said that one-third of parents and caregivers had reported behavioural changes, in many cases stress-related, among children during the economic crisis.
This is not just an issue that affects children currently studying in schools. This is a matter that has a massive impact on the country’s future, including the economy, because a large part of the economy depends on these children who form the next generation. Children dropping out of school could create an entire generation that has to settle for a low quality of life, especially due to most of them being employed in the informal sector, where job security is low and labour exploitation is high. At the same time, their ability or willingness to provide their own children with a quality education may also be affected, feeding into an unhealthy cycle that will see this issue affecting more than one generation.
Thus it is clear that we need to take steps to address this issue effectively and immediately – not just for the sake of our schoolchildren, but for the future of our country as a whole. With brain drain having already been identified as an issue in the country, we cannot afford to lose out on the talent required to build a more stable future.
Therefore, the Government must take immediate steps to look into the household economies of schoolchildren, and identify what economic issues affect their education and in what way. School- or national-level programmes must be launched to address these issues, and a support system must be established to support school children of underprivileged families. It could be as simple as having a school-level system in place to provide children in need with stationary or establishing a special scholarship scheme. What is more, steps should be taken to address mental health-related issues faced by schoolchildren due to the impacts of the economic crisis on their family members and on the family economy.
Taking appropriate measures without delay to address this issue can help Sri Lanka prevent more school dropouts. Education is a sector and schoolchildren are groups that the country cannot put at risk.Kapruka
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!
Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Automobile, Mother and Baby Products, Clothing, and Fashion. Additionally, Kapruka offers unique online services like Money Remittance, Astrology, Medicine Delivery, and access to over 700 Top Brands. Also If you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.Send love straight to their heart this Valentine's with our thoughtful gifts!