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A $100 Million Boost: Growth and Job Creation in Sri Lanka

Growth and Job Creation in Sri Lanka
As of July 29, 2016, the World Bank has approved a $100 million credit from the International Development Association to support growth and job creation in Sri Lanka.

Francoise Culottes, the World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives, stated, “The breadth and depth of the actions implemented signal the comprehensive approach and commitment of the government to tackle difficult reforms aimed at making growth sustainable and creating jobs.”

Despite a 30-year civil war that ended in 2009, the country has risen to the occasion and continued to work towards cultivating growth in the economy.

Currently, the country is described as a lower middle-income country that has become more urbanized with time. Extreme poverty remains low, as the poverty rate only decreased by half a point, from 2.4 to 1.9, between the years of 2009 and 2013. The economy transformed from being primarily rural-based to an urbanized sector that provides services.

The new government, in place since 2015, declared numerous times that it has plans to make the economy more included in the global economy. Growth and job creation in Sri Lanka hinges on the government’s desire to generate one million jobs, develop rural markets, increase income and create a strong middle class.

The Development Policy Financing (DPF) is defined as an IDA credit or grant that “provides support to governments or a political subdivision for a program of policy and institutional actions to help achieve sustainable shared growth and poverty reduction.”

The DPF’s plans are based on three distinct pillars. The first pillar will support the Government of Sri Lanka’s plan to enhance the competitiveness of the private sector and help the country’s ability to overcome obstacles within the trading industry. The second pillar wishes to establish a strong legal framework, encouraging transparency as a means to improve the business environment. The third and final pillar is an act in order to support fiscal sustainability and fix debt management.

The operations guaranteed in the DPF provide funding to the Sri Lankan government after policy packages have been completed. Although various Sri Lankan ministries and groups, such as the Ministry of National Policies and Economic Affairs and the Central Bank of Sri Lanka, are in charge of overall implementation, the World Bank is there to support the reform methods when needed.

If the country continues to be supported by its government and focused on the tasks at hand to continue growing the economy, there should not be many problems. The Government of Sri Lanka must stay committed to its goal of economic growth as the country begins to face new challenges as it evolves into a middle-income country.

There is great promise for the country, though. With seven years of peace, and growth exceeding 6 percent, there should not be a lot of trouble for Sri Lanka, especially with the World Bank on its side.

– Ashley Morefield

Photo: Flickr

World Bank and Sri Lanka: Creating a Sustainable Future

Sustainable FutureThe World Bank signed an agreement with the government of Sri Lanka to provide $45 million in credit to help protect the country’s ecosystems and natural resources, creating a sustainable future. Officially solidified on Sept. 5, the partnership will assist in the improvement, protection and fostering of a multitude of areas throughout Sri Lanka, ranging from quality of life to natural ecosystems.

“Sri Lanka is blessed with a rich endowment of ecosystems. Striking a fair balance between economy and ecology is crucial, not only for the preservation of the ecosystem but also for helping people emerge from poverty,” said Idah Pswarayi-Riddihough, World Bank Country Director for Sri Lanka and the Maldives.

The project, known as the Ecosystem Conservation and Management Project (ESCAMP), strives to monitor the management of natural ecosystems and sustainable usage of its natural resources in an attempt to directly develop negatively affected neighboring communities.

Working with a multitude of associations and government programs, including the Department of Wildlife Conservation (DWC) and the Forest Department (FD), the collaboration is intended to ensure the management of environmental resources and the promotion of a sustainable future.

One such aspect of the project is the improvement of the country’s forests. Although natural forests occupy an estimated 30% of the total land area in Sri Lanka, and approximately 14% of the country’s land area is under legal protection, damage to natural ecosystems is still prevalent.

Devastating forest degradation of dry zone forests and biodiversity loss has led to the inability for natural ecosystems to produce and provide essential benefits. This agreement hopes to halt these harmful actions.

Furthermore, ESCAMP is determined to emphasize the importance and development of social inclusion, something that is vital to the eradication of poverty. “Managing this natural heritage is the responsibility of all Sri Lankans,” said Pswarayi-Riddihough.

In addition to this collaboration, a number of other equally promising initiatives have recently been enacted to improve the quality of life and the environment in Sri Lanka. One of these plans is the Metro Colombo Urban Development Project, which is attempting to improve the city’s flood resilience and quality of life through the development of an integrated flood management system. Approximately 232,000 inhabitants of Colombo will have greater flood protection as a result. Simultaneously, the Strategic Cities Development Project aims to support and strengthen cycling lanes and spaces for riders during the country’s urbanization process.

The culmination of projects such as ESCAMP and its intended goals is transforming how the world looks at, thinks and characterizes Sri Lanka. Overall, Sri Lanka appears to be improving tremendously as it is preparing a more reliable and sustainable future.

– Jordan J. Phelan
Photo: Flickr

The Red Cross Takes The Lead In Providing Aid In Sri Lanka

Sri LankaRecently, many acres of Sri Lanka have been deluged by torrential rains from a slow-moving tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal. 22 of the nation’s 26 districts have suffered heavily from flash flooding and landslides. Officials say this is the worst flood to hit Sri Lanka in over a quarter of a century, and with the monsoon season set to arrive within the next few weeks, there will be no chance of a reprieve. International aid in Sri Lanka is sorely needed to help house and feed displaced persons.

According to Sri Lanka’s Disaster Management Center, 82 people have been killed and over 500,000 have been displaced by the flooding and landslides. The death toll could rise even higher as 118 people are still missing, according to the Press Trust of India.

Displaced persons are being housed in 594 temporary camps across Sri Lanka, according to a press release by Sri Lanka’s Red Cross.

The UN’s Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka has met with President Sirisena. Together, they discussed the emergency provisions needed to provide life-saving aid in Sri Lanka.

The UN released a statement, saying: “We met the president this morning for a briefing on emergency response and coordination. We remain committed to assist all the affected people.”

The Ministry of Health (MOH) has deployed 10 medical teams with supplies in the areas of Kolonnawan, and Kaduwels MOH divisions and the Columbo Municipal council area have been given medical supplies, according to the World Health Organization.

However, it seems the Red Cross has taken the lead in the effort to provide aid in Sri Lanka. As soon as the landslide occurred, the Sri Lankan Red Cross Society’s Kegalle Branch deployed its Disaster Response Team to Aranayake.

Shortly after their arrival, Red Cross officials coordinated with government authorities in search and rescue efforts, as well as in creating temporary camps where they have provided food, first aid and psychological support to survivors.

In Gampaha, one of the worst affected districts in Sri Lanka, Red Cross volunteers provided evacuation via boats and first aid support to people stranded in Biyagama.

The predominant presence of the Red Cross is notable since they have been previously denied access to victims of displacement in the region. In 2009, the Sri Lankan government denied the Red Cross and many other NGOs access to civilians in refugee camps following the Tamil Tiger rebels’ final battle.

– Veronica Ung-Kono

Photo: Flickr

TSEP Enhances Access and Quality of Education in Sri Lanka

SriLanka_education_quality TSEP

The government of Sri Lanka launched Transforming School Education Project (TSEP) in 2012 to run through 2016. According to News Line, the objective of TSEP is enhanced access and quality of primary and secondary education. The project addresses the country’s underfunded education, wide ranged regional disparities and limited focus on key skills that students need to compete in today’s global economy.

“IDA has provided financing for the education sector in Sri Lanka over a long period of time to improve the quality of human capital through effective education and skills development,” The World Bank said of their contribution. “This $100 million project is the fifth education project in Sri Lanka.”

Strategies used to achieve school enrollment and attendance included health and nutrition programs to provide meals for children in poor communities and the building of sanitation facilities. In addition, special education programs were implemented for students who required alternative forms of education.

TSEP contributed to a spike in students reaching grade 11 up from 82 percent in 2011 to 85 percent in 2016. Of 3.2 million students, 52 percent were female.

School-based management and teacher development improved student learning and strengthened academic performance. One reform established a system for conducting national assessments of learning outcomes in order to better reflect modern international trends in curriculum practice. TSEP seeks to orient Sri Lanka’s education system to the world of work by focusing on subjects like English, IT, science, mathematics, commerce and management, as well as improving current curricula.

According to the World Bank, Sri Lanka has 4 million school children but only 215,000 teachers and around 10,000 schools. Only 7.3 percent of the government budget was invested in education in 2014.

By backing TSEP, The World Bank is supporting the Sri Lanka government’s development initiative Program for School Improvement. School officials are expected to be joined by local communities in the management and administration of schools, as greater responsibility and power will be delegated to them.

– Emily Ednoff

Photo: Flickr

Poverty in Sri Lanka: Successes and Challenges

Poverty in Sri Lanka
In many ways, poverty in Sri Lanka reflects its tumultuous history.

From 1983 to 2009, this South Asian country of 20 million was embroiled in a civil war pitting the rebellious Tamil Tigers against the state government. Rebel forces controlled the north and east of the island nation while the army held the center and south. Seven years after the Tigers’ defeat, poverty persists in the former rebel provinces. But progress has come steadily for the Sri Lankan people.

A recently released World Bank assessment of Sri Lankan poverty finds that less than 7 percent of Sri Lankans now live below the poverty line. This is down from 22.7 percent in 2002, 15.2 percent in 2006 and 8.9 percent in 2010. Increasing wages, urbanization and greater domestic demand for goods have contributed to the decline. As more Sri Lankans obtain jobs in industrial and service sectors, wages grow. As wages grow, so too does demand, generating more jobs.

 

Poverty in Sri Lanka

 

However, this decline is not uniform across the country. Mullaltivu, Mannar and Kilinochchi districts in the north have poverty rates of 28.8 percent, 20.1 percent and 12.7 percent, respectively. The eastern district of Batticaloa has a rate of 19.4 percent while the Monaragela district has a rate of 20.8 percent. Information regarding most of these districts was limited until the early 2010s, as the war made survey collection impossible.

Men and women have also not seen uniform gains. While men have a labor force participation rate close to 80 percent, only 40 percent of women are active in the labor market. They also have an unemployment rate of 6 percent, which is twice as high as men.

Additionally, social service programs are limited in Sri Lanka, so not only do women suffer from a lack of employment, they also do not receive government assistance to get them through times of need.

A key challenge to be overcome by Sri Lanka is its low tax rates. According to World Finance, Sri Lanka has “one of the lowest tax-to-GDP rates in the world.” Investing in education, rebuilding infrastructure and redistributing societal wealth become difficult without adequate taxation. This leads to the absence of the skilled workers and roads necessary for businesses to flourish.

Still, with stability comes development and with development comes wealth. Following the cessation of hostilities, Sri Lankans were able to use their talent to diversify away from agriculture into industrial and service jobs, lifting millions out of poverty as a result. Sri Lankan leaders also recognize the need to spread the wealth, giving hope to millions more.

Most notably, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe said, “A priority for us is the creation of more jobs that will minimize poverty and provide for prosperity for ALL Sri Lankans.” He plans to do this by making the country more attractive for foreign investment. “Towards this, we need to enhance our capacity to successfully compete in global markets while creating the necessary space for investments to come in.”

Overcoming poverty is a process. It requires stability, which Sri Lanka achieved in 2009. It requires individual initiative, which the Sri Lankan people have shown in diversifying their economy.

Finally, it requires government investment in education, infrastructure, health and social services. This final piece is essential to solving Sri Lanka’s poverty puzzle — and with strong leadership and support from the global community, Sri Lankans can look forward to a brighter future.

– Dennis Sawyers

Sources: Department of Census and Statistics – Sri Lanka, The World Bank, World Finance
Sources: Borgen Magazine

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$20 Million Awarded to Fight Food Insecurity in Sri Lanka

Food Insecurity in Sri LankaThe World Food Programme (WFP) recently announced it will award a $20 million grant over the next two years to fight food insecurity in Sri Lanka.

Health officials say the grant will primarily be used to improve childhood nutrition in rural communities, where an estimated 21 percent of children under the age of five are moderately or severely underweight. More than 17 percent of children in Sri Lanka are also victims of stunting

“Poor nutrition in the first 1,000 days of children’s lives can have irreversible consequences…so, we must do what we can, as fast as we can, to give the most disadvantaged mothers and children dependable, quality nutrition,” UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake said.

Vulnerability to malnutrition affects many Sri Lankans who have been displaced by 30 years of internal conflict. The problem occasionally escalates when seasonal tsunamis and droughts pass over the island nation.

In partnership with Sri Lanka’s Ministries of Health and Education, WFP currently reaches children in school and at home.

WFP’s Schools Meals Program provides rice, dhal and vegetables to 160,000 students in 958 schools across the Northern Province. For many of the students served by the program, these school lunches are their only nutritional daily meal – a safety net, which has increased school enrollment and attendance.

Through regional health clinics, WFP distributes a nutritional supplement called Super Cereal Plus to 4,300 new and expectant mothers and over 10,000 children under the age of five. The supplement is a blend of corn, soy, vitamins and minerals and provides a guard against acute malnutrition.

The $20 million grant from WFP will help maintain funding levels for these programs as well as expand them to more provinces and more rural communities. The WFP said it hopes every child in Sri Lanka will receive reliable nutrition.

WFP also partners with the Ministry of Environment to strengthen agricultural resilience to climate shocks like drought and flooding. Their programs have reached 14,000 farmers. The organization hopes by empowering farming communities to be efficient and sustainable, they may be able to mitigate the effects of future climate shock, and thereby food insecurity in Sri Lanka.

– Ron Minard

Sources: News.lk, Scaling Up Nutrition, UNICEF, WFP, WHO
Photo: IPS

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Child Empowerment International Provides Education in Sri Lanka

Child Empowerment International provides schooling for underprivileged children in Sri Lanka
Children living in areas in Sri Lanka affected by war commonly do not have access to the resources and funds needed to receive an education. Many of these children suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder and issues due to their harsh living conditions. Child Empowerment International works to help children who have been negatively affected by war and other violent experiences overcome difficulties, cope with reality and receive an education.

Child Empowerment International establishes day schools in the refugee centers and communities these children live in. Over the past 17 years, the organization helped increase an individual’s future earnings by ten percent through education and training. Their staff of over 200 teachers prepares students for testing in Sri Lanka, which is based on the British education system. Studies conducted by Child Empowerment International have shown students graduating from their program score in the top five percentile on these standardized exams.

Students are taught basic school subjects like grammar and biology and receive career training to become carpenters, seamstresses, chefs, mechanics and hotel managers. Many students are also taught English and computer skills.

Child Empowerment International was started in 1998 to provide children living in war ridden zones holistic care. The organization started with 17 schools, but by the following year they were up to 29 schools. Child Empowerment International began by training teachers and counselors to mentor children who had suffered from sexual abuse and other traumatic experiences.

Founder Adam Salmon worked to establish a textbook-exporting company in Sri Lanka in 1994, but decided to change his line of work when he realized there were large numbers of abandoned children not receiving aid from other organizations. As the founder, he manages the hundreds of teachers working for Child Empowerment International and dedicates his time to improving the lives of the 6,800 children impacted by the organization.

The organization also dedicated themselves to helping the survivors of the tsunami that struck Sri Lanka in 2004. Several hundred students were orphaned by catastrophe and Child Empowerment International lost 126 of their students. The organization worked to find homes for children, provide resources and rebuild the schools lost to the storm.

Today, Child Empowerment International has over 80 schools established in Sri Lanka and other impoverished communities. Their newest project enacted in 2010 is working to provide education and healthcare to children in Uganda.

Students at their schools have successfully graduated from university and gained professional experience in the profession of their choice, with many of them becoming teachers or health professionals. Child Empowerment International is gathering quantitative data of the impact of their work on an individual’s success. Publication of this is set for 2017.

– Julia Hettiger

Sources: Child Empowerment, Global Giving, Matador Network
Photo: Porticus

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Sri Lanka Receives Funds for Investment in Childhood Development

sri_lanka
On June 24, 2015, The World Bank approved a $50 million loan to be issued from one of its principal lending arms, the International Development Association, to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Affairs. As part of The World Bank’s larger education strategy “Learning for All: Investing in Peoples Knowledge and Skills to Promote Development,” the loan is exclusively intended for investment in early childhood development. The World Bank anticipates the loan will advance the goals of the Country Partnership Strategy, a strategy forged between The World Bank and Sri Lanka’s government in 2013 to make Sri Lanka’s transition into a middle-income country a sustainable and equitable one.

Despite both a 26-year ethnic conflict, which officially ended in 2009, and a tsunami which ravaged the country in 2004, Sri Lanka has experienced impressive economic growth throughout the past decade. An average of 6 percent annual growth in the past seven years has lowered the percentage of the population living in poverty by nearly 9 percent – to 6.7 percent – while also enabling Sri Lanka to chart significant progress towards other Millennium Development Goals. Yet, these gains are skewed. The ethnic conflict between Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese government and Tamil insurgent population left 500,000 people displaced and agricultural communities’ productive capacities severely diminished. This history has loomed over Sri Lanka’s development, contributing to a large gap between urban and rural communities. The Early Childhood Development Project (ECD Project) promises to narrow this gap, estimating that every US$1 invested will increase social mobility and earn between a US$7 to US$18 increase in wages by improving cognitive development and raising secondary school enrollment.

The World Bank categorizes early childhood development services by age group: a child’s home environment primarily shapes their development from ages 0-2, while center-based services begin providing foundational skills for literacy and numeracy from the ages of 3-5. While home-based childhood development largely falls under the realm of public health projects, center-based development was previously provisioned in Sri Lanka by NGOs and CSOs. Sri Lanka’s early childhood development centers – each consisting of a small classroom of 20-30 children – are currently understaffed, with 29,340 teachers at 17,020 centers (less than half of whom meet the state qualifications to teach); poorly equipped, with over 25 percent of centers lacking clean drinking water; and lacking in national curriculum to guide equitable development and by which to hold centers accountable. As part of its larger development strategy, codified in the Mahinda Chintana or “Vision for the Future,” the Sri Lankan government established the State Ministry of Child Affairs (SMCA) to standardize center-based services and invest in one of Sri Lanka’s most critical resources for future economic development: its human capital.

The joint intervention of The World Bank and Sri Lankan government is necessary to fight cyclical poverty, in which a child’s potential labor skills, and thereby economic prospects, are strongly influenced by their family’s economic class. Data enrollment in early childhood development centers is 17 percent higher for 3-4 year olds in the highest economic quintile than for their counterparts in the lowest quintile. In response, the ECD Project details plans specifically tailored for the poorer plantation sector, in which the Sri Lankan government and the International Fund for Agricultural Development have also established post-conflict resettlement and community building projects. Targeting human capital uniquely improves social equity by compensating for the educational drawbacks poorer children face, better preparing them for primary education and ensuring a base standard for cognitive development. In tandem with programs such as the Plantation Human Development Trust, which will actually administer early childhood development construction, improvements and monitoring in plantation communities in place of the SMCA, the ECD Project’s goals are to increase the number and quality of service centers that promote a higher standard of living and greater social mobility and inclusion, both stated aims of the Sri Lankan government and of the World Bank.

The ECD Project will aid Sri Lanka’s broader efforts to build a more equitable future in more subtle ways as well. By enabling women to join the workforce, for example, the establishment of more early childhood centers in rural communities works towards national goals of gender equality and inclusion, while also increasing household incomes. Gender equality is very much embedded in the project design itself: while “the Project will cover the entire country and will not include interventions targeted at specific communities or social groups,” one of the main indicators which the secretary of the SMCA is charged to judge center progress by is enrollment by gender.

In addition, as a network of institutions, childhood centers will enhance community-based efforts to improve childhood nutrition and overall health. One of the few development goals in which Sri Lanka has made poor progress is nutrition, with 21.9 percent of children from 0-5 underweight.

Ninety percent of the proposed budget will be allocated towards improving the delivery and quality of center services, as well as towards the creation of an evaluation system to standardize them. The World Bank has classified poor investment in early childhood development as a market failure, born from several factors. Awareness gaps of childhood development programs exist between richer families in urban areas and poorer families in the rural plantations to disparately inhibit demand. Meanwhile, credit constraints prevent municipal governments from constructing new centers and prevent families, who cannot afford it, from sending their children to centers.

As a result, the SMCA has designed a “market-based intervention” that addresses these specific issues. On the demand side, access to centers will be expanded through parent awareness programs, subsidies for poor households and the provision of transportation. Meanwhile, on the supply side, maps of center locations and the distribution of children age 3-5 will identify underserved areas to receive project funds. By integrating lessons learned from prior early childhood development projects in other countries, sponsored by The World Bank as well, this intervention will be partially community-based. Parental support is sought to improve outcomes, and community members advise district offices on the distribution of project funds to centers and families. Project evaluation will be composed of teacher training, center management and curriculum development, notably in English, Tamil and Sinhalese – a gesture of social inclusiveness.

Although only worth a nominal US$50 million, the loan has a strong multiplier effect. The “long term strategic development goals” – including building a skilled labor force, promoting social equity and inclusiveness and increasing economic competitiveness through a knowledge-based economy – are all mutually reinforcing. They will hopefully prove attainable as well now that the Sri Lankan government has shifted its focus to the country’s future, resting in the hands, and moreover, the minds, of its children.

– Jacqueline Fedida

Sources: Council on Foreign Relations, International Fund for Agricultural Development, The World Bank
Photo: Telegraph

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E-Libraries Bridge Digital Divide Across Sri Lanka

E-Libraries Bridge Digital Divide Across Sri Lanka-TBP
The Sri Lankan government installed e-library computer centers in hundreds of community centers and places of worship across Sri Lanka to combat the country’s digital divide, increase digital literacy and stimulate the economy in rural areas.

The Program, e-Library Nenasala (eLNP), is completely free to the public, no matter what background a person comes from. “The eLibray Nenasalas have literally opened the gateway to wisdom and knowledge in rural Sri Lanka,” explains Nenasala’s website.

The program originally began in an environment of despair and desparation— the tsunami in the Indian Ocean of December 26, 2004. A total of 35,000 Sri Lankans died that day. Family members and friends urgently needed access to communication and information, and both were facilitated by the e-library program.

The computer centers across Sri Lanka have increased the country’s computer usage and technological literacy rate from below 10 percent in 2004, to nearly 40 percent today.

Computers and internet access have given communities access to life-changing services and information. Children can stream videos on learning the English language; women can learn about nutrition, breast-feeding, sanitation and vaccinations. Farmers can learn how to increase their crop yields, and entrepreneurs have access to information on how to start a business. Migrant workers staying in Sri Lanka can also Skype with family members in far-away countries.

Community members, thanks to their access to computers, now have access to assistance with how to write a resume or conduct a job search. Adults can fill out important applications online such as passports or driver’s licenses; they can also take government examinations.

The Nenasala computer centers also bring the community together; teens are trained in computer skills, and then volunteer to teach older community members.

“Without a doubt, the e-Library Nenasala Program is making a real and lasting impact on the lives of poor rural residents throughout Sri Lanka. People are getting locally relevant information and hands-on experience in the subject areas that matter most to them. Community members have a real investment in these centers, which promotes their longevity and sustainability for many years to come,” explained Deborah Jacobs, who directs the global libraries initiative at the Gates Foundation.

So far, 283 e-Library computer centers have been built. When the program first began, the government “knew that the low-income, rural residents it was targeting wouldn’t necessarily flock to the Nenasalas, or ‘wisdom centers.’ Fear, distrust, or just plain unfamiliarity would likely keep them away” explained Impatient Optimists, The Gates Foundation’s website.

For this reason, the e-library computer centers are based in some of the most trustworthy places of all— places of worship. This unconventional cultural adaptation has been critical in the success of the E-Library Program. “These institutions are seen as community centers and places of learning. They are familiar, welcoming, and trusted,” said Impatient Optimists.

E-Libraries can be found in Muslim Mosques, Buddhist Temples, Christian churches and Hindu Kovils across Sri Lanka.

Temples have been an especially effective location for the e-libraries because of their traditional, ancient association with learning as well as their role as the center of the village. The temples of Sri Lanka are also open to all people, no matter the race, gender, age or even religion. Small donations from the community help to keep the e-libraries functioning and up-to-date.

The eLNP program has been so effective that it received the Gates Foundation’s Access to Learning Award, a one million dollar value. The award began 15 years ago to promote providing the world’s poor with access to technology.

The organization plans to use the money to upgrade hardware at various locations. eLNP also plans to begin a new program where community members can temporarily rent tablets and install education software for children where there is not ample access to schooling.

The Sri Lankan government hopes to increase computer literacy and usage rates through the Nenasala computer centers to 75 percent by 2016.

– Aaron Andree

Sources: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Impatient Optimists, Philanthropy News Digest

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Education in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island that sits just off the eastern coast of India in the Indian Ocean. It is comparable to about half the size of Alabama, but with about 10 times the number of people. Its population currently exceeds 21 million, with a life expectancy rate of about 75 years of age.

The island nation was first known as Ceylon and was a British colony from the late 1700s until 1948. On February 4, 1948, Ceylonese leaders took over and finally made the nation its own self-governing entity.

Following this breakthrough in independence, education in Sri Lanka went through dramatic changes. Literacy rates rose to 97 percent and there was a greater emphasis on improving overall education for Sri Lankans. Today, Sri Lanka has 10,390 schools and school is mandatory for children up to age 13. Schooling is free until this point, along with textbooks and other school materials.

Despite a more involved secondary education, it seems that there is a sudden drop off when it comes to higher education in Sri Lanka. A test comparable to the U.S.’ Scholastic Aptitude Test is taken in order to apply to universities. Yet, because the Sri Lanka has only 15 universities, and very limited space, only six percent of those who apply are accepted.

Thus, Sri Lankan students are beginning to look elsewhere around the globe to further their education. In fact, an information session was just recently held by the Sri Lankan education board to assist those who need to access a United States Student Visa due to furthering their education in the U.S. this fall.

Other nations are stepping up as well. The Embassy of Japan is holding an information session on Sept. 20 in Colombo, Sri Lanka to encourage and assist any students in enrolling at university in Japan. At the meeting, eight Japanese universities will be represented. This is actually the fourth information session held in Sri Lanka by the Japanese.

Improving global education is an issue that requires a collective effort and with nations coming together as they are, literacy rates and education may improve across the entire world.

– Kathleen Lee

Sources: InfoPlease, Fulbright, Colombopage
Photo: Amnesty International Blog