I met Saroja in July 2024 during my first visit to the Raigamwatta IOT (Indian Origin Tamil) community. She is a 31-year-old woman, married, with a five-year-old child. Saroja works as a nursery teacher at the local nursery facility in Raigamwatta, and she is one of the few people in her community who has completed a diploma. Saroja shared that she had dreamed of becoming a nursery teacher since she was around eight years old. Though she struggled in school, she worked hard to achieve her goal. Today, she is proud to be a nursery teacher. However, according to Saroja, most of her peers, neighbours, and other community members show little interest in pursuing higher education or striving for upward social mobility. Many leave school between the ages of 10 and 15 and go directly into traditional occupations or labour intensive work to earn a living.

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Saroja’s story illustrates that education is a vehicle for upward social mobility. Educational achievements and qualifications can improve one’s social status for the better. Education provides a pathway out of poverty, offering opportunities for better employment and improved living conditions. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), social mobility refers to how a person's socioeconomic situation improves or declines relative to their parents or throughout their lifetime. It can be measured in earnings, income, social class, and wellbeing dimensions such as health and education (OECD, 2022). This concept applies to both vertical mobility, indicating movement up or down the social hierarchy, and horizontal mobility, indicating movement within the same social level.

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In Sri Lanka, we benefit from the positive impacts of free education, on par with countries that invest heavily in their educational systems. Yet, despite the availability of free education, the questions remains why marginalised communities in Sri Lanka often show limited educational achievement and continue to experience high levels of poverty.

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In this blog, I draw on my research with the IOT community in Raigamwatta, Kaluthara district, conducted as part of the Sri Lanka Barometer Young Researchers’ Programme, to highlight the barriers to accessing quality education.

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Marginalisation and Poverty in Sri Lanka

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Marginalised communities face social, political, and economic discrimination based on “different personal characteristics or grounds, such as sex, gender, age, ethnicity, religion or belief, health status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, education or income, or living in various geographic localities” (European Institute for Gender Equality, 2024). Generally, in Sri Lanka, ethnic minority groups tend to be more marginalised than the majority, as the majority Sinhala Buddhist community yields more control over state power structures (Minority Rights Group, 2011). Others who tend to fall under the categorisation of ‘marginalised groups’ include war-affected communities, disabled persons, the LGBTQ+ community, and Women-Headed Households (WHH) to name a few.

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One way in which people are marginalised is through generational poverty (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, 2023). According to the World Bank, poverty rates continued to rise in 2023 for the fourth year in a row, with an estimated 25.9% of Sri Lankans living below the poverty line. Labour force participation has also dropped, among women and in urban areas, worsening the situation due to the closure of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). This has led to households taking on debt to meet food requirements and maintain spending on health and education (World Bank, 2024). The SLB National Public Opinion Survey on Reconciliation 2023 shows household deprivation, measured through the Lived Poverty Index (LPI), significantly increased, from a national mean score of 1.4 in 2020 to 3.8 in 2023 (on a scale of 0-10) (Sri Lanka Barometer, 2024).

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Also, The Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (2022) reveals that approximately one out of every six (16.0%) people in Sri Lanka are multidimensionally poor. More than half (51.3%) of all people living in estate areas live in multidimensional poverty and eight out of every ten (80.9%) people who are poor live in rural areas (Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network, 2022). Also, The Department of Census and Statistics highlights estate areas as pockets of poverty that require policy attention (Department of Census and Statistics, 2015).

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The IOT community in Raigamwatta is part of the broader Malaiyaha Tamil community spread across Sri Lanka. They were brought to the island over 200 years ago during the British colonial era to work on plantation estates. Since their deployment in Raigamwatta, this estate has remained their home, now housing the fourth generation since their initial settlement. For many generations, the majority of community members willingly worked for the estate authority. However, the younger generation is moving away from this tradition, refusing estate work to do other forms of labour intensive work to earn a living.

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The Raigamwatta IOT community experiences significant marginalisation and discrimination from both the state and other citizens, despite living in Sri Lanka’s most urbanised and developed province (Western Province). Still, the community remains largely invisible, due to their historical identity, ethnicity, language barriers, and educational limitations, all of which restrict their ability to speak up for themselves.

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Challenges Faced by the IOT Community in Raigamwatta in Accessing Education

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Social mobility through education is one of the most effective paths out of poverty for individuals from marginalised communities. The power of education can break poverty cycles and economically empower individuals from the most marginalised communities with dignified work and upward social mobility (Junjunia, 2023). When individuals gain educational qualifications, they can economically upgrade themselves and their families by better access to income-generating opportunities regardless of external factors that delay their advancement. In this sense, education becomes the foundation for breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

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However, in marginalised communities, access to quality education is often limited by factors such as poverty, lack of infrastructure, and social barriers (SAS Foundation, 2023). One such barrier to receiving a quality education is the noticeable differences in the level of attention given by the government and educational institutions, often favouring the schools attended by ethnic majorities at the expense of disregarding more rural schools in marginalised communities (Save the Children and British Council, 2021). Schools in urban areas often receive continuous attention and resources, while rural and marginalised communities receive comparatively limited support, particularly in terms of qualified teachers and infrastructure (Sarma, Licht and Kalugalagedera, 2018). Additionally, these barriers are often immersed in systemic inequalities that include language barriers, economic barriers, lack of human resources (such as teachers, and trainers), lack of infrastructure, cultural and social discrimination, and limited access to technology.

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During my visits to the schools in Raigamwatta, I gained many insights into the area’s educational challenges. The school in Raigamwatte faces a severe shortage of infrastructure and staff, with only eight teachers for the entire school. The lack of proper transportation isolates the community, as many teachers refuse to work there due to the difficulty of reaching the school. This has contributed to the community’s limited access to educational resources. According to the school and community members, they receive little attention from the Ministry of Education and other government entities.

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Moreover, students have almost no access to technology-aided education and are lagging behind national education standards. Rather than improving, the overall educational level of the community has been dropping over time. The elders in the community, who I spoke to, recall the time when the schools in their area were staffed with well-qualified and experienced teachers who provided a better standard of education. But now they feel that the current generation is not receiving the same quality education.

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Raigamwatta recently gained internet access, which has brought new challenges. Many children are now addicted to social media, online gaming, and sometimes watching phonography. Unfortunately, they lack guidance on using technology in constructive, educational ways. Their parents, who are unfamiliar with technology, struggle to recognise its risks or guide their children effectively. This lack of awareness makes it hard for children to focus on education, despite the already limited resources available.

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Social discrimination and language barriers are also a major challenge for this community. Since most students from the Raigamwatta community speak Tamil, they encounter significant obstacles to their education, such as difficulty in understanding the material taught in Sinhala or finding enough learning material in their native language. With no qualified teacher to teach them Sinhala, they struggle to learn the language. This gap creates obstacles when they try to engage and communicate with others outside their community. This often negatively impacts their motivation to pursue education, pressuring them to enter the workforce at an early age to battle poverty. This creates a cycle of marginalisation that sustains disadvantageous lifestyles as the element of education is removed from their circumstances.

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Moreover, the Raigamwatta IOT community’s trust in the education system is very low, therefore they seldom choose to pursue further education due to the multiple challenges and barriers they face. According to the survey I conducted with 31 members of the community, 48.4% of respondents had only completed up to the Ordinary Level exam and many have chosen to stop pursuing higher education, prioritising making money even when their parents fully support them to pursue higher studies.

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Social justice and equity are increasingly linked to educational accessibility, enabling socially deprived individuals to integrate into the mainstream. However, marginalised groups are often left behind, denying them their right to education (Musthafa and Stephen, 2019). This also highlights the essentiality of education as an agent for social cohesion and reconciliation, ensuring treatment without discrimination for all and equal rights for the marginalised.

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Solutions to Foster Social Mobility Through Education

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Addressing these challenges requires a collaborative, long-term approach. The government needs to take the lead by ensuring the availability of qualified and experienced teachers and improving school infrastructure to create a better learning environment. Introducing bilingual or adaptive education systems can help overcome language barriers, making education more accessible to diverse communities. Additionally, designing inclusive and culturally relevant curricula can empower students and create pathways for social mobility. Community engagement and international support are also necessary for building a sustainable framework that prioritises equity and inclusion in education.

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Simply relying on support from the government, NGOs, or community groups may not be enough to break the cycle of poverty in communities like Raigamwatta. Real change depends on community members being motivated to pursue long-term goals, including education, as a path to uplift their lives. As I discussed, in Raigamwatta, the community prioritises immediate income over education. It is important to raise awareness about the long-term benefits of education and language skills. Educated individuals typically earn higher incomes, contribute more to the economy, and are more likely to invest in their children’s education, creating a positive cycle of growth and upward social mobility (Unity Environmental University, 2024). By helping marginalised communities, such as the IOT community in Raigamwatta, to see education as a valuable asset, they can be empowered to make lasting improvements for future generations.

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Ensuring that every child has access to quality education should remain a top priority if we want a fairer, more inclusive country. By focusing on communities that have historically been left behind, Sri Lanka can build a society that values diversity and offers every citizen the chance to live a fulfilling life.

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References
Department of Census and Statistics (2015) Census Population Housing 2012-FinalReport. ISBN : 978 – 955 – 577 – 940 – 1. Department Of Government Printing. http://www.statistics.gov.lk/Population/StaticalInformation/CPH2011/CensusPopulationHousing2012-FinalReport (Accessed: October 20, 2024).

European Institute for Gender Equality (2024). European Institute for Gender Equality. https://eige.europa.eu/publications-resources/thesaurus/terms/1175?language_content_entity=en#main-content (Accessed: October 25, 2024).

Minority Rights Group (2018). Minority Rights Group. https://minorityrights.org/country/sri-lanka/ (Accessed: October 20, 2024).

Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network (2022) multidimensional Poverty in Sri Lanka | MPPN. https://www.mppn.org/mpi-sri-lanka/.

Musthafa, M.A. and Stephen, R. (2019) Education of the Marginalised; In the Context of Policy Initiatives for Universalisation of Elementary Education, International Journals of Multidisciplinary Research Academy (IJMRA). ISSN: 2249-2496. International Journal of Research in Social Sciences. https://www.ijmra.us/project%20doc/2019/IJRSS_JULY2019/IJMRA-15949.pdf (Accessed: October 19, 2024).

Minority rights Group(2011) www.minorityrights.org. ISBN 978 1 907919 05 3. Minority Rights Group International, United Kingdom. https://minorityrights.org/app/uploads/2024/01/download-921-download-the-full-report.pdf (Accessed: October 20, 2024).

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2023). Reducing Intergenerational Poverty. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press⁽
OECD (2022) Social mobility and equal opportunity. https://www.oecd.org/en/about/programmes/observatory-on-social-mobility-and-equal-opportunity.html (Accessed: October 19, 2024).

Sarma, V., Licht, S. and Kalugalagedera, T. (2018) Educational Inequalities in Sri Lanka: National Data and Local Perspectives on Access, Quality and Learning Outcomes, Center for Poverty Analysis. ISBN: 978-955-3628-27-5. Centre for Poverty Analysis. https://www.cepa.lk/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/2019-Sarma-et-al.-Educational-Inequalities-English.pdf (Accessed: October 21, 2024).

SAS Foundation (2023) The Importance of Education in Empowering Marginalized Communities. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/importance-education-empowering-marginalized/ (Accessed: October 22, 2024).

Save the Children and British Council (2021) WHOLE SCHOOL CULTURE TO FOSTER SOCIAL COHESION IN SRI LANKA, Save the Childern. Save the Children and British Council. https://srilanka.savethechildren.net/sites/srilanka.savethechildren.net/files/library/Whole%20School%20Culture%20to%20Foster%20Social%20Cohesion%20in%20Sri%20Lanka.pdf (Accessed: October 22, 2024).

Selvaratnam, N., Keat, O.B. and Tham, J. (2023) The Challenges of Sri Lankan Minority Leadership in the State Universities: Equity and Equality, www.oapub.org/edu. ISSN: 2501-1111. European Journal of Education Studies. https://doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v10i8.4897.

Sri Lanka Barometer (2024) SLB NATIONAL PUBLIC OPINION SURVEY ON RECONCILIATION 2023, www.srilankabarometer.lk. Sri Lanka Barometer. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/6401937657fbcb014f4a5c61/67177dc38be2c10181215c4a_SLBR2023_Final_211024_Digital-compressed.pdf (Accessed: October 24, 2024).

World Bank (2024) Sri Lanka’s Economy Shows Signs of Stabilization, but Poverty to Remain Elevated. https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2024/04/01/sri-lanka-s-economy-shows-signs-of-stabilization-but-poverty-to-remain-elevated (Accessed: October 22, 2024).

Zubair Junjunia, Z. (2023) The transformative power of education in the fight against poverty. https://www.undp.org/blog/transformative-power-education-fight-against-poverty (Accessed: October 25, 2024).

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Upeka Indeevari Galappaththi is an independent researcher with a BA in Linguistics, Chinese and Computer Studies from the University of Kelaniya. She is skilled in Sinhala, English, Japanese, Chinese, Sri Lankan Sign Language, and Tamil languages, and is passionate about social science research, languages, and education.

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