The policy advocacy paper discusses the challenges to equity in education in Sri Lanka, with an eye on global developments. Equity via technology adaptation and deployment is an option that can be considered today. The nature of industrial revolutions taking place within the country, as well as the emerging globalization impacts of Industry 4.0, are evaluated in identifying the pathways for education in Sri Lanka. The significant differences that exist and their long- term impacts, if not addressed are presented. From an SDG mind set, it is seen that Sri Lanka appears to be performing quite well in the area of quality education as per current assessments, which is embodied in SDG 4. However, this external assessment, together with microdata, indicates that the importance placed on SDG 4 is still insufficient and requires that different practices are adopted by the country. At present, the Sri Lankan education system is not producing young people who are geared for tomorrow’s world of work, and this divergence needs to be understood and attended to.

The paper takes on an advocacy role in policy. Initially, the discussion is on education in Sri Lanka, with a specific focus on education systems and processes, resource allocations, and performance. The contribution to economic development is discussed, whereby the issue of education’s inability in its current trajectory to contribute sufficiently to the economy is presented.

The scope of the policy paper is to provide key inputs to facilitate a dialogue and contribute to further policy development pertaining to education and related areas in Sri Lanka. Currently, it is inconceivable for the discussion to not have COVID-19 factored in. The pandemic is quite likely to ensure lasting change in the education system and is also accelerating the adoption of technologies in their broadest sense, as the way forward for service delivery. The key issue then is how to understand the changes forced upon the education system to be more meaningful and of value, overall.

The specific objective of the present policy advocacy paper is to provide a concise account of the present state of education in Sri Lanka in terms of achievements and challenges, while being aware of the sweeping changes taking place globally. The 21st century has imposed on us a set of desired skill sets from a student, and these appear to be non-negotiable. Traditional existing mechanisms and frameworks are quite unlikely to deliver on these expectations. Change demands significant investments, and what is observed is that this element is missing. Thus, there is a significant need to understand the importance of focused investments in education.