New data shows thousands of schools running with single-digit teaching staff, raising concerns about learning quality and equity.
More than 3,000 schools in Sri Lanka are operating with fewer than 10 teachers, exposing deep staffing gaps in the country’s education system, according to fresh figures from the Department of Census and Statistics.
The data shows 3,126 schools, including one national school, fall into this category, while another 4,263 schools have just 10 to 25 teachers—meaning most schools are stretched thin. The imbalance is stark: 1,576 schools have fewer than 50 students, yet 36 schools each serve over 4,000 learners.
Overall, about 3.82 million students are enrolled in state-run schools nationwide. To ease the pressure, the government has opened recruitment into the Sri Lanka Teachers’ Service, targeting graduates to teach in Sinhala, Tamil and English across national and provincial schools.
Education experts warn that unless teacher shortages are urgently addressed, equal access to quality education will remain a challenge.
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