Differences between International schools and private schools of Sri Lanka

by Roger Brendon An avid tea drinker, passionate traveller

Education system in the small island of Sri Lanka has a history of over 2000 years. Since time immemorial the country has cherished and valued education. The literacy rate in Sri Lanka stood at 96.3% as at 2015. This is quite an impressive figure for sure, as the island is still a developing one.

The importance of public schools have always been undisputed in the country. There are several leading public schools in the country which boast of large and colourful alumni. But as the education as well as the facilities which are offered in these schools are funded by the government, many schools lack even the most basic facilities. Of course, there are several leading public schools in the country which rival even the strongest international schools. But still at large, the facilities as well as the services rendered by these institutions leave much to be desired.

To fill the void that these schools created in the education system of the country, private schools were introduced. During the colonial era especially, the numbers of private schools in Sri Lanka grew tremendously. This is primarily due to the increase of the number of people belonging to the upper middle class. They wanted to pay for the education of their children, hoping for a higher quality education and better facilities in return. Even today the private schools in the country which were established during the long forgotten colonial era continue to grow. Schools like St. Thomas’ College, St. Peter’s College, Ladies College, Methodist College, Wesley College, and St. Bridget’s Convent are prominent private schools located in the commercial capital of Colombo.

The education offered in the private schools in the country is mostly in Sinhala or Tamil. As of late many leading schools have also started offering English medium education to keep up with the changing trends. There are 66 private schools in the country today. 33 of these schools are categorized as semi government schools.

International schools in Sri Lanka have also become incredible popular in the past few decades. Ever since the 1980’s international schools in Colombo have been revolutionizing the education industry in the country. While a number of people seem to think that international schools are solely for the expatriate community, these reputed establishments certainly attract large crowds of local families. Of course the fees are quite high in these schools and so the parents expect a higher level of education as well as more facilities. Most often than not, the international schools in the country fail not to delight these demanding parents.

Most of the international schools in the country prepare students for the Edexcel General Certificate of Education (IGCSE) Ordinary, Advanced Subsidiary (AS) and Advanced (A2) Level examinations. Some of the international schools offer Cambridge International Education as well. The former is the more popular option among many. Both these types of examinations fall under the supervision of the British Council. The international schools in the country are not under the guidance and control of the Ministry of Education but they come under the Board of Investment. Hence the standards of the schools can indeed vary greatly.