Urgent Reforms Needed in the Education System – Appeal Submitted to the Presidential Secretariat

There are critical deficiencies in the education structure that directly affect Sri Lanka's national productivity and the future prospects of its youth. The time period a student takes to complete school education, pursue higher education and earn a Bachelor's Degree is significantly longer compared to many other countries.

Under the current educational practices, a student in Sri Lanka generally reaches 25 or 26 years of age by the time they complete their first degree. This is not solely due to the quality of education or the complexity of the curriculum; rather, unnecessary administrative delays in holding examinations, releasing results, university admissions and enrollments serve as the primary causes.

The long time gap between the G.C.E. Ordinary Level (O/L) and Advanced Level (A/L) examinations, the months-long delay in releasing results after exams are conducted, the waiting period for university admission and delays in commencing formal academic activities at universities collectively waste several years in a young person's educational journey.

This situation does not merely affect the individual student's future; it is a structural problem that impacts the utilization of the country's overall human resources and national productivity.

In many countries such as the United Kingdom, Singapore, Malaysia and even India, students have the opportunity to start higher education shortly after completing school education and generally finish their first degree by the age of 21 or 22.

This allows youth to enter the job market at a younger age, contribute to the country's economic activities, engage in entrepreneurship or pursue postgraduate and other higher studies. Conversely, due to educational administrative delays in Sri Lanka, a part of the crucial productive years of young people is spent in unproductive waiting.

If a student were to complete their degree four or five years earlier and enter the job market, their contribution to the country's economy during that period would be significant. Therefore, due to unnecessary delays in educational administration, several years of human resource productivity that the country should receive from every generation are being lost.

This has a long-term impact on employment, income, tax revenue, entrepreneurship, innovation, and the country's overall economic growth.

Education is not merely a tool for an individual's advancement; it is a critical investment in a nation's economic development. Thus, every unnecessary delay in the education system must be viewed as a loss in the utilization of the country's human capital.

Another vital dimension of this problem relates to social and economic equity. Students from affluent families avoid the long waiting period for state university admission by opting for private higher education institutions or foreign universities, completing their degrees at a younger age, and entering the job market.

However, talented students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds mostly have to rely on state university opportunities. Consequently, their educational journey is prolonged, creating a situation where they remain financially dependent on their parents for longer periods.

This increases the financial burden on families and can cause anxiety, frustration, and mental stress among young people regarding their future. Therefore, eliminating these structural delays in the education system should be viewed not just as a measure to improve educational administration, but as an action to ensure social justice and equal opportunity.

To elevate Sri Lanka's human resource capability to international standards and to enable youth to utilize their talents for national development at a younger age, Mr. M.A.C.M. Jawahir urgently requests the consideration of the following three main recommendations:
1.Streamlined Examination Timelines: The G.C.E. O/L and A/L examinations must be systematically and uninterruptedly scheduled so that students complete secondary education by 17 or 18 years of age. The requirement for students to wait long periods after an examination before commencing the next educational stage must be completely eliminated.

2.Modernized Evaluation Systems: Utilizing modern Information Technology and Artificial Intelligence, answer script evaluation systems should be modernized where feasible to establish a practice of releasing exam results within a few weeks. This will allow students to make decisions regarding their higher education and career paths without unnecessary delay.

3.Pre-University Orientation & Preparatory Programs: To fully utilize the waiting period while awaiting A/L examination results, possibilities should be explored to launch introductory university courses, foundational training, or orientation programs early. Through this, students can enhance their knowledge and skills before starting formal university education while also reducing the total duration required to complete a degree.

There is no shortage of talent among Sri Lanka's youth; they possess knowledge, capacity and an eagerness to learn. However, creating an educational framework suitable for channeling those talents into the country's economic growth at the right time is a key responsibility of the government.

Enabling a student to complete their first degree by age 21 and enter the job market benefits not only the individual's personal future but also yields immense benefits for the national economy.

When youth join the workforce at an earlier age, their income increases, the financial burden on families decreases, state tax revenues grow, entrepreneurs emerge, and the timeframe available for higher education and research expands.

Therefore, it is time to treat the target of "Graduate by Age 21" as a national objective in Sri Lanka's educational policy and implement practical reforms to achieve it.

Sri Lanka's future depends not solely on its natural resources, but on the knowledge, skills, and productivity of its youth. Sri Lanka can transform into a knowledge-based and competitive economy only by preventing unnecessary years of waiting in young lives, accelerating their educational journeys, and linking their talents to the country's economic growth.

Educating youth faster and bringing them into the job market sooner is not merely an educational reform—it is an investment in Sri Lanka's economic future. This constitutes the fundamental goal of this appeal.

MACM Jawahir