MEDIA ENVIRONMENT

Literacy/Education

Both men and women in Sri Lanka get an education, and although males have a higher literacy rate than females, both are far higher than other Asian/Middle Eastern countries.

Sri Lanka has compulsory elementary and secondary education from ages 5-13 (1). From age 16-17 students attend senior secondary school. Those who qualify can go into the university system, which is state-run. There are about eight universities, and one of these universities has over 18,000 students, in 28 faculties, plus 2,000 graduate students (http://countrystudies.us/sri-lanka/)!

Compared to surrounding countries, Sri Lanka is well-educated with a 92.3 percent literacy rate (over twice the rate seen in Saudi Arabia) (6). There is a slightly higher literacy rate among men (94.8 percent) than women (90.0 percent).

"Since independence in 1948, the government has made education one of its highest priorities, a policy that has yielded excellent results. Within a period of less than 40 years, the number of schools in Sri Lanka increased by over 50 percent, the number of students increased more than 300 percent, and the number of teachers increased by more than 400 percent" (http://countrystudies.us/Sri-Lanka/).

Teachers made up the largest work force outside the plantation industry. The literate population grew, and by the 1980s and 1990s, over 90 percent of the population was officially literate, with a nearly universal literacy for the younger population (http://countrystudies.us/Sri-Lanka/).

"This is by far the most impressive progress in South Asia and places Sri Lanka close to the leaders in education among developing nations," (http://countrystudies.us/Sri-Lanka/).

One of the major problems still facing the education system in Sri Lanka is the dropout rate among students from agriculturally dependent families. Many young students are pressured to quit school because they are needed in the fields or at home (http://countrystudies.us/Sri-Lanka/).

Lets LEARN! The Lanka Education And Research Network connects institutions across the country. The LEARN project commenced in 1990. The first service provided was LEARNmail, the first e-mail service in Sri Lanka.

The idea of schools broadcasting was first presented in 1927, and by 1931, the School Broadcasting Service was started. Following the formation of the Ceylon Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), it came to the attention of broadcasters that the Education Service -- referred to earlier as the School Service -- had made only a small impact because of the programs being broadcast; the information was already being taught at schools. Broadcast timing was also inconvenient (1).

Recent steps have been made to modernize this approach. The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation has allocated six hours a day, including two in prime time, for educational broadcasting (1).

Journalism education and training in Asia and the Pacific are in developmental states. In the 1970s, there was a period of rapid growth and increasing stability for journalism and mass communication education and training (5).

There is still a need for specialized texts, in-service seminars and courses for faculty. Institutional encouragement and research funding are also low, and many prospective students cannot see opportunities for advanced degree work both within and outside Asia (5).

Sri Lanka does have journalism and mass communication education and research programs at the university level (5).