Over 267,000 Sri Lankan Children Left School System in Six Years, Parliament Told

More than a quarter of a million children abandoned their schooling in Sri Lanka over a six-year period, Prime Minister and Minister of Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya revealed in Parliament on Wednesday.

Responding to a question raised by Samagi Jana Balawegaya Ratnapura District MP Hesha Withanage, Dr. Amarasuriya disclosed that a staggering 267,138 children had dropped out of the national school system between 2018 and 2024.

A Crisis Demanding Urgent Attention

The figures paint a troubling picture of educational retention in Sri Lanka, with tens of thousands of young people each year failing to complete their schooling. The disclosure has drawn fresh attention to the structural, economic and social challenges that continue to push children out of classrooms across the island.

Economic hardship, family circumstances, and the lingering impact of Sri Lanka's severe financial crisis in recent years are widely regarded as key contributors to rising dropout rates. Children from rural and low-income households are widely considered to be disproportionately affected.

Government Under Pressure to Act

The revelation places significant pressure on the Ministry of Education to introduce targeted interventions aimed at reversing the trend. As both Prime Minister and Education Minister, Dr. Amarasuriya is expected to lead policy responses addressing the root causes of school abandonment.

Child welfare advocates and education experts have long warned that high dropout rates carry serious long-term consequences, not only for individual children but for the country's broader social and economic development.

Parliament is expected to scrutinise the government's education policies further as lawmakers seek accountability and concrete plans to bring vulnerable children back into the formal learning system.

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