Despite free education at primary level and beyond, early childhood learning remains inaccessible to many
In a recent statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) revealed that the lack of free pre-primary education in Sri Lanka is severely impacting access for children from low-income families. While the country boasts a strong literacy rate of 92% and provides free primary, secondary, and tertiary education in public institutions, pre-primary education remains a costly, private undertaking—excluding many of the nation’s poorest children.
“Although at least 68 percent of national constitutions protect the right to primary education, references to early childhood education are almost non-existent,” HRW stated. “When pre-primary education is not free, cost prevents children from low-income families from participating.”
According to Sri Lanka’s National Census of Early Childhood Development Centres (2018), only 19.8% of the country’s 19,668 preschools are public, and 88.2% charge a fee. HRW cited a preschool teacher who noted that while the monthly fee is Rs. 1,000 (around US$3.50), many families simply cannot afford it. “When families cannot pay, children do not come for some months,” she said. As of January 2025, just 3 out of 20 students in her classroom were able to pay.
An education officer echoed this issue bluntly: “If you can’t afford to pay, there is no space in the system… Only the families that have money can send their children to preschool.”
The barriers to enrollment in many regions include not just fees, but also a lack of nearby preschools, limited parental awareness of the long-term benefits of early education, and infrastructure gaps. This has led to high disparities. In poverty-stricken districts, some 70% of students enter primary school without any pre-primary education, resulting in noticeable learning difficulties.
HRW emphasized that quality pre-primary education builds critical cognitive, emotional, and social skills during the most formative years of a child’s life. The absence of this foundation not only deepens social inequities but also creates long-term developmental disadvantages.
Examples from other countries show the difference policy change can make. HRW noted that Ireland introduced free preschool for children aged four in 2010, leading to near-universal enrollment within a short period.
Moreover, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals include a clear target: “By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education.”
As Sri Lanka works toward achieving its development targets, HRW is calling for policy reform to expand free and accessible pre-primary education, especially to children with disabilities and those from underprivileged communities, to ensure no child is left behind from the very start of their educational journey.