The country’s education system is facing a severe crisis, marked by a growing shortage of teachers for the G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) classes, particularly in urban national schools, says the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU), which highlights the government’s failure to take meaningful action despite acknowledging a deficit of approximately 30,000 teachers.

CTU Secretary Joseph Stalin told the media on Thursday that national schools, particularly in urban areas such as Colombo, are severely affected. “Existing teachers are overwhelmed with excessive workloads, and there is a critical need for qualified educators, especially English-medium graduates in subjects like science, mathematics, and IT,” Stalin said, describing the situation as a “serious crisis.” He warned that the teacher shortage is undermining the quality of education for thousands of students preparing for university entrance.

Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, in a speech to Parliament earlier this year, confirmed that over 40,000 teaching vacancies exist across the country, with 2,652 of these in national schools. Despite efforts to fill these vacancies, bureaucratic hurdles and legal challenges have delayed progress, leaving both students and educators in a precarious position. Former Education Minister Susil Premajayantha’s attempts to resolve the crisis last year were unsuccessful, according to industry sources.

As the teacher shortage deepens, many students and parents have turned to the private tuition sector to compensate for the gaps in the formal education system. Professor Wasantha Athukorala, Director of the Postgraduate Institute of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Peradeniya, revealed that the tutoring industry has ballooned into a Rs. 210 billion sector. “Over Rs. 200 billion is circulating in the tutoring sector, with an increasing reliance on private tuition to fill the void left by the shortage of teachers in schools,” Prof. Athukorala said.

Industry sources report that private tutoring has become a lucrative business, particularly for A/L students, with estimates indicating that tutors collectively earn Rs. 210 billion annually. This figure excludes income from smaller private classes, which are increasingly held in urban areas. The booming tutoring industry is a stark reflection of the failure of the formal education system to meet students’ needs. Of the total revenue, Rs. 80 billion is generated from A/L students, underscoring the growing dependence on private tuition rather than state-run education.

Prof. Athukorala also raised concerns about the detrimental effects of late-night tuition sessions, which have become increasingly common. Classes that run well into the night, sometimes until midnight, place additional stress on students who are already burdened by their academic workloads. Moreover, the informal tutoring sector remains largely unregulated, with minimal oversight and no taxation framework in place.

The Ministry of Education has reported a significant shortage of teachers in key subjects, including English, Science, and Mathematics, with nearly 30,000 vacancies nationwide. However, efforts to fill these gaps have been largely ineffective, leaving schools struggling to cope. Teacher unions have raised alarms over the declining attendance rates in schools, particularly in A/L and O/L classes, as more families opt for private tuition to ensure their children’s academic success.