(1) SESSION (2) ADOLESCENTS : CURRENT RIGHTS FOR FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Mohan Lal Grero, Deputy Minister for Ministry of Education Monitoring MP for Ministry of Youth Affairs and Skills Development FROM THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION TO RIGHT TO DECENT WORK IN SRI LANKA 2 nd High Level Meeting on Cooperation for Child Rights in Asia and the Pacific Government of Sri Lanka
(2) Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in the northern Indian Ocean off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent in South Asia. Population 20,277,597 Area 65,610 km 2 Economic Situation Reaching middle income Unemployment 5% Adult Literacy Rate 89% Overall Literacy Rate 93.5% Source: 2012 Census, Annual School Census & Special Survey on MDG goals 2006/7, Dept. Of Census and Statistics
(3) Initiated Free Education for primary & secondary educations in 1943. Achieved very good education indices in Asia by 1960 s. Achieved universal access to primary education with 99.6% completing primary education. On track to achieve MDGs 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 with notable health & education indicators. Compulsory age of education is up to 14 years & to be increased up to 16 yrs. Proportion of Pupils Starting Grade 1 who reach Grade 5 ( by Sex ) 1990 2002 2006/7 Overall 68.1 95.6 99.6 Male 64.1 94.7 99.3 Female 72.6 96.5 99.8 Source: Annual School Census & Special Survey on MDG goals 2006/7, Dept. Of Census and Statistics
(4) Free resources to increase attendance Midday meal programmes. Free text books. Free uniforms (two per student/year) Subsidized transport facilities. Decentralised subject Education, as a devolved subject to Provinces provides fiscal and strategy space to address local concerns. Constitutional support - To all persons, right to universal and equal access to education - Eradication of illiteracy
Broadening the Focus : Right to education to right to decent work and enhancing employability of adolescents & youth (5)
(6) Main challenges of the education system are lack of equity, quality and relevance to job market Changing population profile from child to adolescent & youth Increase in labour force from 6.3 million in 2000 to 7.3 million in 2010 Annually about 150,000 adolescents and youth join the labour force with low skills or no skills at all Unemployment rate is 4.2% but youth unemployment is higher (19%)
(7) School drop out increase from post primary with age is largely attributed to quality & equity related issues. Although the pass rates in public exams have improved over time, quality requires further attention. Of the 340,000 adolescents and youth who Join the labour force nearly half enter without skills & job relevant competencies. This is translated into growth of the informal employment sector, including over 30% of labour still in agriculture sector lowest wages at present. Perception of employed graduates on non-relevance of degree to employment: - Public sector employees: 30.1% - Private sector employees: 54.6%
(8) 1000 Schools are remodeled with new Technological Laboratories and Science, Mathematics, Commerce and Arts Subject Streams for A/L. These schools are evenly distributed through out the country. New Technology Subject Streams were introduced to A/L Students with compulsory vocational training. Technical Laboratory Unit (1000 Units) Introduction of Mandatory career guidance in schools. Strengthening English Teaching and Trilingualism (Sinhala, Tamil and English) and Introducing assessments for listening and speaking skills. Strengthening organizational linkages among the relevant Ministries (Education, Higher Education, Youth affairs, Skills Development, Labour, Productivity).
Strategies School to Decent work Vocational training to be mainstreamed in schools for skill development (9) Launching school based vocational counseling & training centers Targeted on students who complete G.C.E. O/L & A/L, but fail to gain university admissions. This program and the project come under the supervision of the Sri Lanka Vocational Training Authority The first school based vocational training center has been opened at the Ananda College, Colombo.
Strategies School to Decent work (10) Decent work available for adolescent and youth through skill enhancement - Strengthen regulated & certified vocational training Linking secondary education, VET and higher education institutes and the world of work to promote seamless career paths via lateral entry. Degrees at Universities to be labour demand oriented- The curriculum content of academic programmes will be redesigned to match the requirements of employers with new Technology Faculties. Public-private partnership in education and training - Non-state universities and degree awarding institutions will be encouraged, with regulatory controls on quality and accreditation requirements. Skills of Migrant labour improved - Vocational training to cater to skilled migrant labour force as opposed to the unskilled in the past t owards decent work. NVQ school learner acquire competencies by direct entry to industry - A network of one-stop career centres is planned throughout the country to provide information on training, career guidance and employment related services.
Strategies School to Decent work Market-driven vocational training available at School Level (11) Life Long Career Development (SLQF)
Strategies School to Decent work (12) 25 New University Colleges are being constructed to offer NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) Levels 5,6 and 7 for school leavers with vocational training. NVQ Level 7 is B.Tec. Degree. University for Vocational Technology (UNIVOTEC) is already available.
Strategies Transformation (13) New technology stream for A/L students NVQ (Level 2 & 3)) for ICT Students during O/L & A/L. NVQ for School based Vocational Trainees Included in A/L technology stream
(14) Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework (SLQF) Different levels of SLQF with some examples together with comparable levels of NVQF SLQL = Sri Lanka Qualifications Framework Level NVQL= National Vocational Qualification Level Source: University Grant Commission Sri Lanka
Moving Forward. (15) Maintain focus on right to quality education linked to job market Ensure an adequate resource pool for skills development in schools and technical colleges for initial steps towards school to decent work Advocate for mindset change from traditional to market-oriented new skills requirement Continue assessment and required adjustments in training to meet national and international market demanded for skilled labour Implementation of the newly formulated Human Resources and Employment Policy through allocation of financial and other resources, with more efficient and effective coordination across implementing agencies
SRI LANKA (16)