Page 147 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

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

1. Introduction and Research Problem

Notion of Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) are not new attributes to
Sri Lankan cultures. Those aspects are the prime values of cultures practices

by the Sri Lankan communities irrespective of their ethnicity, religion, or
gender. However, Sri Lankans like other South Asian nations failed to

sustain those traditionally attributed values due to the socio-economic
changes taken placed specially during last four decades. Thus, diversity,

equality and inclusion became as the western concepts, introduced to Sri

Lankans through the international conventions and other mechanisms. In
this point of view, Sri Lanka recorded a remarkable and historically

significant achievements in ensuring legal provisions related with equality

and inclusion to its people from the British colonial rule onwards. Universal
Franchise of the 1931 Donoughmore constitution and the section 29 (II) of

the 1947 Soulbury constitution are the internationally recognizable
provisions ensuring DEI under the British rule. Considering DEI policy and

legal frameworks in education, Sri Lankan policies and related
constitutional laws were largely influenced and shaped by international

conventions. Sri Lanka became a state party in the 1989 convention on the

rights of child. Sri Lanka rectified the 2006 UN convention on Persons with
Disabilities in 2016.

When looking into the post-independent policy developments, Article 12.2

of the 1978 Constitution, which was amended in 2015, promotes education

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