Early Childhood Development Project in Sri Lanka: A Journey Towards Accessible and Quality Education

Strategic Insights -

The Sri Lankan government's commitment to improving access to quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) services has led to a significant transformation in the country's education sector. The Early Childhood Development Project, financed by the World Bank, has made tremendous progress in enhancing equitable access to ECD services and improving the quality of ECD programs. The project has focused on addressing the unique needs of the country's plantation and non-plantation sectors, ensuring that solutions are coherent and systemic.

Key Takeaways:

  • The project has directly benefitted approximately 1.35 million children between 2015 and 2020, with half of them being girls, along with teachers, parents, community members, government officials, and project management staff.
  • The number of children enrolled in ECD centers has increased by 578,160 (12.8%) in 2020 compared to 2015, with half of them being girls.
  • 4,498 ECD centers are receiving Facility Improvement Grants, and about 31,816 children receive tuition subsidies.
  • By July 2020, approximately 4,485 ECD centers were meeting national quality standards, exceeding the original end target of 3,500 centers.
  • The project supported the revision of the curriculum and child development standards used to guide the teaching-learning process in centers throughout the country.
  • About 15,699 ECD teachers and teacher assistants completed standardized short-term training between 2015 and 2020.
  • Parental awareness programs on ECD have been conducted through the project.
  • In 2020, approximately 3,249 centers were conducting child development assessments, compared to none in 2015.

Statistics:

  • 1.35 million children benefitted directly from the project between 2015 and 2020.
  • 578,160 more children (half of them girls) were enrolled in ECD centers in 2020 compared to 2015.
  • 4,498 ECD centers are receiving Facility Improvement Grants.
  • 31,816 children receive tuition subsidies.
  • 4,485 ECD centers were meeting national quality standards by July 2020.
  • 15,699 ECD teachers and teacher assistants completed standardized short-term training between 2015 and 2020.
  • 3,249 ECD centers were conducting child development assessments in 2020.

Sources:

  • Sri Lanka, a lower middle-income country, has a well-established program for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) committed to improving access to quality ECD services. To this end, it has been pursuing a strategy of public-private partnerships to expand access to ECD services.
  • Before the project started, ECD coverage was low and inequitable. Physical facilities and teaching and learning materials, furniture, and other inputs were of poor quality, the teaching force was not sufficiently trained, and national standards and systems for monitoring quality were inadequate.
  • World Bank-financed the first-ever ECD project in Sri Lanka and the South Asia Region in 2015.
  • Project has had far-reaching results, including enhancing equitable access to ECD services and improving the quality of ECD programs.
  • The project has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by financing personal protective equipment, expanding tuition fee waiver support, and providing teaching learning materials and kits to more centres.