Donor Aid to the Education Sector in Sri Lanka and the Achievement of Education Goals

Abstract

Sri Lanka has pursued a policy of Education for All since 1945 with the decision to provide free education to all children from primary to tertiary age of schooling. This has resulted in high literacy rates and high attainment for the country in the human development indicators. Gender parity in education and 98.3 % enrolment in primary education indicate the country is likely to achieve the relevant MDGs before 2015. The state in Sri Lanka has traditionally been the provider of the educational needs of the country, and national education has always been considered to be the responsibility of the government. However, a large percentage of government expenditure on education goes towards salaries and maintenance of buildings and equipment. The state also provides free school uniforms and textbooks to all students and a mid-day meal in rural areas. The country is thus heavily dependent on donor funds for any quality improvement or reform. Donor agencies have supported the education sector in Sri Lanka since the early 1950s with the World Bank traditionally being the largest education donor/lender to the country. Aid to the education sector has conventionally been through the project mode, but in 2006 the government decided to switch to a sector-wide approach for education so as to integrate donor contributions within the government’s sector development policy, giving the government ownership over the program. Although there is a sharing of information and discussion of the sector-wide approach, donors still act on their own agendas, hindering aid effectiveness.