Equality of opportunity for education in the backdrop of rapid expansion of education privatization in Sri Lanka

SSU2207 APPLIED SOCIOLOGYSemester I

Education Privatization… It is a global project implemented on similar

guidelines in all regions of North America, Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia.

The origins of these guidelines can be seen in policy papers of International Financial Institutions (IFIs).(International free trade tools and mechanisms are strengthened to redefine the role played by states.)

Education in Sri Lanka Primary And Secondary education

Especially those preparing to university, have to rely heavily on private tuition. (Informal way to privatzation of education)

Qualify for university education. Only 17% of those who qualify for university

education gain admission to state universities.

Crisis on equal opportunity for education The capacity of the state university system is

limited. Due to the limited number of placements in the state

funded universities, only 17% of students gain admission to state universities.

Public investments in education sector are low. Sri Lanka has historically invested around 2.5% of GDP

on education. These investments in education have decreased in recent years – for instance, to 1.9% of GDP in 2010, and are low compared to Sri Lanka’s competitor countries.

Supply of tertiary education has limited scope and relevance to market needs.

Figure 1: Sri Lanka’s Tertiary Education System Caters only to a very Small Proportion of the Population

Does state education fulfill the overall process of the education In 2009 only 3.6% of 20-24 year olds were

enrolled in a university while only a further 3.6% of the same age group were enrolled in technical and vocational training (TVET) courses.

The average tertiary enrolment rates for lower middle income countries and upper middle income countries were around 23% and 43% respectively, in 2009.

Sri Lanka’s public investment in education is much less than the average of 4% spent by lower middle income countries.

Will the future be a dream….?

Trend to Privatized Education The limited number of seats in the public

universities. Excessive qualified high school students who are

unable to gain admission to public universities. Many students who are not admitted to their

preferred programs and to their preferred university will opt for a private university over the free public one as they can choose their preferred degree program in line with their talent.

Private universities would have selection of more practical and job oriented programs.

Private universities will turn out graduates with a better command of language and better developed soft skills which are important to employers.

Crisis with privatization education will be turned into a ‘commodity’, and

the benefits of the free education system will be lost.

In a developing country like Sri Lanka, without a proper financial assistance mechanism, it may not be easy to ensure equity in access for private education.

public and private universities may compete for resources – lecturers. Private universities would probably be able to pay more to obtain the services of good lecturers, and may leave vacuums in public universities.

As a result, students who could afford to pay will choose private universities while those from poorer families would have to rely on public universities as they do not have another option.

How to reduce imbalance between public & privatized education One option is increasing public investments in

higher education. The second option is mobilizing private funds for

higher education. Private universities – operating under state

regulations and standards – could improve the quality of education through competition, enhanced access to university education, and resource mobilization.