Business
Rising School Dropouts: The Plight of Estate Children in Sri Lanka
By Himani Vithanage
Although Sri Lanka has performed well in basic education indicators such as a high literacy rate and near-universal participation in primary and secondary schooling, there are striking disparities across regions in the country. Specifically, the education performance of the estate sector consisting of plantation communities is dismal, with a high level of school dropouts. Based on a study carried out by the Institute of Policy Studies of Sri Lanka (IPS), this blog discusses the issue of school dropouts in the estate sector and how prolonged school closures following the COVID-19 outbreak and the ongoing economic crisis have increased school dropouts in estate regions.
School Dropouts in the Estate Sector
A sector-wise comparison of school dropouts prior to the COVID-19 outbreak reveals the estate sector to have the highest percentage of dropouts in all three levels of education – primary, secondary and collegiate – with the percentage rising as the level of education advances from primary to the collegiate level, as observable from figure 1. As such, approximately 4% of primary, 20% of secondary, and 26% of collegiate students had dropped out of school in the estate sector. In contrast, the corresponding rates in urban and rural sectors are much lower, reflecting the disparity across sectors.
Although Sri Lanka’s primary education is almost universalised, the estate sector is lagging. Around 13% of all school dropouts in the estate sector are from primary grades, suggesting that a considerable proportion of dropouts in the region may not even have completed their primary level of education, which is an issue of concern. The high percentage of dropouts beyond primary level could be attributed mainly to the fact that many schools in estates are Type 3 schools with only primary grades, which discourages many estate children from advancing into lower secondary grades as they have to enrol into schools far away from the estates. For instance, in Nuwara Eliya district, which has one of the largest estate sectors in the country, 50.2% of schools are Type 3 schools (School Census, 2020), which influences many children to drop out of school after completing their primary education due to the lack of schools with higher grades in the region.
Given the high level of school dropouts in the estate sector, the IPS study identifies estate children in higher grades, those from extended family households, those from indebted households, those from low-income households, whose fathers have low education qualifications, whose mothers live away from home (abroad or outstation), those who spend more time on housekeeping activities, and those who engage in economic activities to be more likely to drop out of school.
Impact of Child Labour on School Dropouts in the Estate Sector
Notably, the prevalence of child labour in a community is revealed to significantly impact estate children dropping out of school. While those considered under child labour are children within the age group 5-17, the finding that around 58% of estate sector school dropouts in this age group engage in or seek to engage in economic activities indicates how child labour influences estate children to drop out of school.
While Sri Lanka is committed to attaining the goal of zero child labour by 2025, as set in the Sustainable Development Goals agenda, eliminating child labour would solve this issue of school dropouts to a certain extent. However, ever since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged, along with the ongoing economic crisis in the country, this goal of eliminating child labour by 2025 has become even more challenging. Evidence suggests that the number of children engaging in economic activities has increased significantly in these estate regions after the pandemic that led to prolonged school closures.
School Dropouts after COVID-19
“There were 56 O-Level students in our school, but when school reopened after the pandemic, only 36 students returned to school. The remaining 20 students were found to be doing jobs. So, we teachers had to go from house to house to meet their parents, and we could only persuade the parents of six students to send them back to school while the others dropped out and continued to do jobs. There were similar cases in grades 6-10 as well.” – School teacher in the estate sector
During pandemic school closures, online classes were the main mode of education for estate children despite it not being viable among them. As such, the lack of access to devices (smartphones, laptops etc.), signal and network coverage issues, along with the financial difficulties they faced, have hindered many children in plantation communities from attending online classes. Concerningly, there is evidence that a segment of those students that had no/low attendance for online classes during that period continue not to attend school even though schools are now reopened and that such students have either dropped out or are currently at the risk of dropping out of school.
Business
Govt eyeing export revenue target of USD 3 billion per annum from gem and jewellery industry
By Ifham Nizam
The government of Sri Lanka has set a target of USD 3 billion per annum in the foreseeable future, from exporting precious gemstones and exclusive jewellery pieces, Minister of State for Industry and Entrepreneur Development, Chathuranga Abeysinghe said.
During the opening of the “Jewels 2024” International Gem and Jewelry Exhibition in Colombo, Abeysinghe highlighted the vital role the gem and jewelry sector can play in Sri Lanka’s economic growth, particularly in earning foreign exchange.
“This ambitious target reflects the government’s commitment to revitalizing and expanding the country’s gem industry,” he said.
Speaking further he said:
“Sri Lanka’s gem and jewellery sector, a vital industry with significant potential for foreign exchange earnings, is steadily declining due to the absence of a proper policy framework. The lack of it has caused the industry to lose its competitive edge. The challenges faced by the industry include technological gaps, government tax policies, and bureaucratic hurdles that stifle growth.
“In this backdrop, the current administration is focused on eliminating these barriers and aims to generate USD 3 billion in export revenue from the industry in the near future.”
“Without a comprehensive policy, we are losing out on the immense potential of this sector. Our government is fully committed to removing these obstacles and is focusing on creating the right policy changes. Sri Lanka has the capacity to become a global hub for gems and jewelry, and we are working to make that vision a reality.”
“The government’s strategy includes integrating the gem and jewelry sector with the tourism industry to accelerate its development. With its rich history in gem mining and jewelry crafting, Sri Lanka holds a unique position to become a leading player in the global market, provided the necessary policy reforms are implemented.”
“With the right steps, Sri Lanka can reassert itself as a dominant player in the global gem market, but time is of the essence in addressing the challenges currently facing the industry.”
“The goal of generating USD 3 billion in export revenue from the gem and jewelry industry is achievable. However, this requires swift action to overcome existing challenges such as technological gaps, outdated tax policies, and bureaucratic obstacles.”
“The government is focusing on policy reforms to remove these barriers, allowing the sector to thrive and fully exploit its export potential.”
“The sector’s development aligns with the government’s broader economic goals and will play a significant role in bolstering Sri Lanka’s foreign exchange reserves. As the global demand for high-quality gems continues to rise, Sri Lanka has the opportunity to capture a larger share of this lucrative market. The implementation of necessary reforms and the fostering of an innovative, sustainable industry will be key to achieving this target,” the state minister said.
This year’s theme for the exhibition was “Sustainable Development of Sri Lanka’s Gem and Jewelry Industry,” underscoring the importance of adopting sustainable practices while ensuring the industry’s growth.
To help improve climate resilience measures in Sri Lanka
by Sanath Nanayakkare
In partnership with the Department of Meteorology (DoM), JICA is spearheading the establishment of the Doppler Weather Radar Network in the Puttalam district, which can realize accurate weather observation and weather prediction based on the collected data by the radar. This initiative is a significant step in strengthening Sri Lanka’s improving its climate resilience including not only reducing risks of floods, landslides, and drought but also agriculture and fishery.
The groundbreaking ceremony for starting the construction of the radar, along with a media briefing, was held on December 23, 2024, at the DoM’s District Office in Puttalam. Naoaki Kamoshida, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Japan in Sri Lanka, Tetsuya Yamada, Chief Representative of JICA Sri Lanka, Dharmathilaka, Additional Secretary for the Disaster Management Division of the Ministry of Defence, and Karunarathne, Director General of the Department of Meteorology participated in the event.
The agreement on providing fund for establishing the radar network was signed in 2017 and there was a long way to start the construction due to COVID-19 pandemic from 2020, and the economic crisis from 2022.
The Commercial Bank of Ceylon won two Golds, a Silver and a Bronze at CA Sri Lanka’s ‘TAGS’ Awards 2024, reaffirming the Bank’s prowess in financial reporting through its Annual Report for 2023.
Excelling in the four pillars recognised by the awards programme – Transparency, Accountability, Governance, and Sustainability, Commercial Bank was presented the Gold for ‘Corporate Governance Disclosure’ in the Financial Services sector and the Gold for the Best Annual Report among the private sector banks. The Bank also won the Silver for ‘Digitally Transformative Reporting’ across all sectors, as well as the overall Bronze award for Excellence in Corporate Reporting.
“Our consistent recognition at the CA Sri Lanka TAGS awards is extremely relevant to all stakeholders, because it ratifies the Bank’s commitment to Transparency, Accountability, Governance, and Sustainability in its financial reporting,” Commercial Bank Managing Director/CEO Sanath Manatunge said. “Every year, our business grows exponentially in size and complexity as global standards change and customer expectations rise.
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