Page 131 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

World Bank estimates, reflect the underreporting of disability in Sri Lanka.

This underreporting points to persistent challenges in identifying and
measuring disability, which could lead to a large population of children with

disabilities being excluded from education and other social services.

Sri Lanka has made several achievements in providing education for all
children since the introduction of the Universal Free Education Policy in

1945 and the Compulsory Education Policy in 1998 which strived to afford
equal educational opportunities for all children at all levels. In 2020, the

country recorded a 100.3% net enrolment rate with almost 100% of students

completing primary education (UNESCO, 2020). Despite the efforts of the
Ministry of Education of Sri Lanka in mainstreaming children with

disabilities in regular classrooms and special education units in schools, a
larger percentage of them continue to face several barriers to access,

participation and achievement in education.

As a direct outcome of the low participation in education and the high

competition in entering national universities, only a limited number of
students enter the universities every year. However, for Students With

Disabilities (SWD), providing equal access to higher education and

ensuring that they can pursue their education on par with their peers without
disabilities in universities remains a challenge.

Understanding the challenges faced by SWDs and implementing

appropriate interventions is required to create an inclusive educational

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