Schools in Sri lanka
Basic information
•
Sri Lanka's education structure is divided into five parts: primary, junior
secondary, senior secondary, collegiate and tertiary. Primary
education lasts five to six years (Grades 1-5) and at the end of this period,
the students may elect to write a national exam called the Scholarship
exam. This exam allows students with exceptional skills to move on to
better schools. After primary education, the junior secondary level (referred
to as middle school in some schools) lasts for 4 years (Grades 6-9) followed
by 2 years (Grades 10-11) of the senior secondary level which is the
preparation for the General Certificate of Education, Ordinary Level.
According to the Sri Lankan law, it is compulsory that all children go to
school till grade 9 (age 14) at which point they can choose to continue their
education or drop out and engage in apprenticeship for a job or farming.
However, the Ministry of Education strongly advises all students to continue
with their studies at least till the General Certificate of Education Ordinary
Level. Students who are pursuing tertiary education must pass the General
Certificate of Education Ordinary level in order to enter the collegiate level
to study for another 2 years (grades 12-13) to sit for the General Certificate
of Education Advanced Level. On successful completion of this exam,
students can move on to tertiary education, there for the General Certificate
of Education A/Ls is the university entrance exam in Sri Lanka.
PRIMARY SCHOOLS
• Primary
• Kindergarten: 4-5 year
olds
• Grade 1: 5-6 year olds
• Grade 2: 6-7 year olds
• Grade 3: 7-8 year olds
• Grade 4: 8-9 year olds
• Grade 5: 9-10 year olds Scholarship Examination
SECONDARY SCHOOLS
Junior secondary
• Junior secondary
• Grade 6: 10-11 year
olds
• Grade 7: 11-12 year
olds
• Grade 8: 12-13 year
olds
• Grade 9: 13-14 year
olds
Senior secondary
• Senior secondary
• Grade 10: 14-15 year olds
• Grade 11: 15-16 year olds
– General Certificate of
Education Ordinary Level
Examination
Collegiate
• Collegiate
• Grade 12: 16-17 year
olds
• Grade 13: 17-18 year
olds - General
Certificate of
Education Advance
Level Examination
Government Schools
• The old schools which
had been around since
the colonial times were
retained by the central
government, thus
creating three types of
government schools;
• National Schools
• Provincial Schools
• Pirivenas (Schools for
Buddhist priests)
School uniforms in Sri Lanka
• School uniforms in Sri
Lanka were first introduced in
the late 19th century. Today,
school uniforms are almost
universal in the Sri Lankan
public and private school
systems. All public and private
schools maintains almost a
singular uniform design in the
color of white with few
individual characteristics for
boys and a few variation
designs in white for girls.
UNICEF: Sri Lanka
• New child-friendly schools
bring new hope to
communities in Sri Lanka
• AMPARA DISTRICT, Sri
Lanka, 15 July 2010 –
Thousands of schoolchildren in
Ampara district, eastern Sri
Lanka, recently cheered in a
new era in education, with
marching bands playing and
UNICEF flags waving during
official ceremonies in their
villages.
UNICEF: Sri Lanka
• Along with local community
leaders, they were celebrating
the opening of six new schools
– the result of a UNICEF Sri
Lanka investment totalling $3.8
million. Thousands of students
will benefit from the UNICEFfunded schools.
• But it was a solemn moment,
too – a moment to remember
the tsunami that destroyed
their old schools and villages
in December 2004. The scars
of the tsunami are still
scattered along the coastline
here, tombstones and
ruins from the time when the
sea took the lives of more than
30,000 Sri Lankans.