Education in Sri Lanka - Criticisms

Criticisms

Critics of the education system, including academics and parents, state that the education system is too competitive, too general, rigid, and elitist. Often, these criticisms state that there is little emphasis on creative thinking, unlike education systems in other societies, such as those in the United States. Those defending the current education system claim that Sri Lankan students have regularly ranked high when competing in international science and mathematics competitions and assessments, without any data or proven statistics to support these claims. Therefore critics argue that these claims are based on a few individual examples and not the case in general. They also claim that this is more an indication of students' skills in using rote to prepare for a certain style of competition or examination than of their ability to think critically.

The higher education field has been constantly criticized due to the falling standards at state universities which has led to high unemployed graduates. Efforts to establish private universities have been blocked, resulting in a very limited government sanctioned independent degree awarding institutions of international standard that have been claimed by proponents of private universities as a role model for the future, and claimed by opponents of private universities as privatization of education. However the demand for higher education has created several private institutions that conduct courses for degrees in foreign universities, these are not regulated or evaluated for proper standards by the government or independent organizations.