Tag: #India

China-Sri Lanka Partnership Strengthened through School Uniform Donation

Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, reaffirmed the strong relationship between China and Sri Lanka, highlighting education as a shared foundation for equality and development.

Speaking at an event held recently to mark China’s continued donation of free school uniform materials, the Prime Minister stated that both China and Sri Lanka can be identified as nations committed to providing equal access to fundamental education for all children. She emphasized that such collaborations play a crucial role in ensuring educational equity across the country.

Dr. Amarasuriya noted that the support extended by the Chinese government has been a significant strength in Sri Lanka’s efforts to maintain quality education, particularly during challenging times. She further stated that China’s long-standing commitment to providing school uniform materials, fulfilled consistently over several years, clearly reflects the mutual trust, respect, and enduring friendship between the two countries.

“The uninterrupted fulfillment of this promise demonstrates China’s solidarity with Sri Lanka, especially during periods of difficulty,” she said, expressing gratitude on behalf of all Sri Lankans for the generous donation.

As part of this initiative, the Chinese community has donated school uniform fabric valued at approximately 11.484 million units as a full grant. The materials delivered to Sri Lanka in five shipments. The official handover of the donation was made to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education by the Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China to Sri Lanka, His Excellency Qi Zhenhong.

It is expected that approximately 4,418,404 students will receive school uniforms this year. Distribution of the materials to Divisional Education Offices was scheduled to begin from January 19, 2026. Free school uniforms will be provided to students in government schools, government-approved Pirivenas, and government-approved Pirivena institutions across the island, under a programme implemented by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.

Addressing the event, Ambassador Qi Zhenhong highlighted the long-standing and resilient relationship between China and Sri Lanka, noting that the partnership has endured despite various challenges. He reaffirmed China’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka’s education sector and contributing to the country’s long-term development.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Madura Seneviratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, and several other officials.

Kerala’s Shocking Truth: Super Educated yet Super Unemployed

Kerala has India’s highest literacy at 96.2%, surpassing or rather beating the national average for literacy rates. Malayalis chase degrees, dream big, and vote left for welfare. Yet, over 25% of educated rural youth and 20% urban grads sit jobless, turning the situation into a paradox of pride and pain.

The Wrong Kind of Smarts

Due to big government spends, Kerala’s schools reach everyone. But Malayalis focus stays on conventional degrees in arts and science for “white-collar” government jobs and with thousands applying for the same public sector spot, job opportunities get drastically unavailable, leading the same thousands of young to settle for lower-paying jobs like peons or janitors. Malayalis strong preference for salaried jobs rather than entrepreneurship is rooted in another kind of reality which really uncovers the effects of having an unhealthy education system as well as a political climate. On one hand, Malayalis who are not self-taught yet excessively drown in unnecessary conventional studies do not possess the kinds of skills that match self-employment. Their educated grads twiddle thumbs while factories beg for workers.​

Educated Unemployment

This educated unemployment has become a serious test of Kerala’s development. As a result of constantly struggling to create enough suitable jobs, a large numbers of Malayalis migrated abroad, especially to Gulf countries, in search of better employment opportunities. Over time, the “Gulf Malayali” became a familiar figure in Kerala’s social and cultural life and was often viewed as financially stable and highly desirable.

The theatrical release movie poster for the 2015 Malayalam film ‘Pathemari’, that depicts the socio-economic struggles of the Gulf Malayali. Image credits: The Kerala Paradox: From High Literacy to High Educated Unemployment

The Kerala- Gulf diaspora, numbering over two million people, has played a major role in the state’s economy. In 2019 alone, remittances from abroad brought in nearly $14–15 billion, boosting household income, consumption, and savings, and contributing significantly to economic growth. However, this migration also created a shortage of local workers in low-skilled sectors such as construction and coconut harvesting. These jobs are now largely filled by migrant workers from North-Eastern Indian states. This balance between skilled emigration and migrant labour inflow has become a key feature of Kerala’s economic development. But in the wake of oil crashes, visa cuts, and COVID slashing over 300,000 jobs since 2013, the Malayali’s diaspora’s dream has been fading. Then unemployment started hitting 26.5% as of May 2020 and now returning grads face empty promises with no high-skill gigs waiting.

Despite these rates, a gender gap in literacy seemingly continues to persist across India. Men consistently show higher literacy levels than women, reflecting long-standing social and economic inequalities in access to education. In states like Kerala, this gap is much smaller due to strong investments in education, but women still fall just behind men. In contrast, states with lower literacy levels show much wider differences, with far fewer women able to access basic education. This highlights that while progress has been made, achieving true gender equality in education remains an ongoing challenge. This in fact underlines the need for continued policy focus on gender equality in education.

Sources:

  • Mathrubhumi News, 2019.
  • The Kerala Paradox: From High Literacy to High Educated Unemployment
  • At 96.2%, Kerala tops literacy rate chart; Andhra Pradesh worst performer at 66.4%