Teachers alarmed by rising school dropout rate

800 rural schools already closed

by Rathindra Kuruwita

School dropout rate and absenteeism are on the rise due to the economic crisis and the government burdening parents with expenses borne by the state in the past, says Ceylon Teachers Union (CTU) General Secretary, Joseph Stalin.

Stalin told The Island yesterday that by November 2023, about 800 schools in rural areas had been closed and many more would face closure if the government did not increase investment in the education sector.

“According to the 2021 school census report, which is the latest we have, there are 10,146 government schools. Out of that 2,971 are schools with fewer than 101 students. About 2,175 have about 101 to 200 students. There are 3,095 schools with fewer than 10 teachers. This was the situation before the onset of the economic crisis in 2022 and the adoption of the IMF-prescribed austerity measures.

Stalin said school attendance had dropped significantly, especially in schools with fewer than 200 students.

“This is mainly because parents can’t afford children’s education anymore.

Education officials claim that schools are closing because the overall birth rate is dropping by a very small amount. However, ask teachers or principals and they will tell you that most children dropout because the government is making parents pay for the services previously provided by the state free of charge. Schools collect money from parents for almost everything and only the underprivileged parents send their children to schools that have fewer than 200 students.”

Stalin said that dropout rate and absenteeism had not peaked yet, and he feared that the numbers would grow exponentially in the coming years unless remedial action was taken urgently.

“In Sri Lanka, all parents want their children to sit at least the GCE O/L examination. Most of them want their children to enter university. They sell their valuable to enable their children to receive a good education, but they have been left without anything to sell. In a report issued in 2020, on the performance of the government schools, the National Audit Office warned that the number of students was decreasing in at least 5,161 schools that had fewer than 200 students. We will soon see this happening unless steps are taken.”