Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr Harini Amarasuriya has called for an examination of why boys are dropping out of education, pointing to their low representation in Sri Lanka’s university system.
She said the Government and all responsible stakeholders needed to consider why schools and other educational institutions were struggling to retain boys in classrooms and take steps to address the problem.
“Particularly when it comes to higher education, there are hardly any male students in our universities. Why have our schools and educational institutions been unable to keep boys, in particular, in school and in the classroom? Why are they dropping out? I think this is something all of us need to consider very carefully. It is something we need to change. Children do not come to school simply to study and pass examinations,” she said.
Amarasuriya emphasised that schools should also help children develop leadership, teamwork and the values needed for life.
“Leadership, a sense of teamwork and many of the values we need in life should be developed through school. We must therefore make all our schools places that can provide these things. By Grades 12 and 13, keeping children in school becomes a major challenge. Making schools places that provide children with love and care is a significant challenge for us.
“Otherwise, boys in particular can become lost when they enter wider society. That leaves them exposed to serious risks. There are numerous problems within society,” she said.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the need for education to play a role in addressing drug-related problems.
“We have a major problem with drugs. We need to find solutions to these issues within education too. Life is not just about knowledge gained from books,” she said.
