Sri Lanka

To address the growing educational crisis in Sri Lanka, Room to Read is prioritizing elements of our programs with high potential to scale, reaching more children more quickly. 

Increasing access to child-friendly school libraries 

For many communities in Sri Lanka, the importance of libraries in supporting children’s literacy is not well understood. Many schools focus on the mechanics of reading and writing, rather than encouraging students’ intrinsic motivation to read and learn.

Recognizing the critical shortcomings in students’ reading comprehension skills, the government has collaborated with Room to Read to cultivate a robust culture of reading. As a result, Room to Read has established library spaces in select schools throughout the country. These child-friendly libraries in schools demonstrate how libraries and reading activities reinforce and enhance children’s learning. 

Enhancing national guidelines for children’s books 

Room to Read’s trusted relationship with the Ministry of Education means we are frequently invited to develop or contribute toward new national policies and guidelines to improve educational standards. We recently helped establish Sri Lanka’s National Consortium of Children’s Books (NCCB), a collaborative working group within the Ministry of Education designed to develop national children’s book standards. As a leader of the NCCB, Room to Read has brought together government officials, children’s book publishers, academics, child psychologists, and other nonprofits and education organizations to draft comprehensive guidelines around the components of quality children’s books that effectively support children’s learning. 

Supporting more students by training more teachers 

The Sri Lankan government is collaborating with Room to Read to develop and implement a wide range of trainings for educators. These include (1) “Training of Trainer” materials for government officials to educate teachers country-wide on integrating reading and library activities in their literacy lessons, and (2) trainings adapted for pre-service educators in Teacher Training Colleges, who are gaining knowledge and skills on reading development before they enter classrooms – benefiting generations of students.  

All children deserve qualified, highly-trained teachers. In Sri Lanka, Room to Read has developed a comprehensive curriculum to be taught in teacher-training colleges throughout the country.  Through this curriculum, pre-service teachers will learn how to facilitate effective and engaging reading activities for primary school students, including read-alouds, and how to help students effectively build strong literacy skills. 

Building life skills and supporting children's wellbeing

Sri Lanka's Ministry of Education is increasingly focused on ensuring schools can protect students’ psycho-social and emotional well-being while building resilience and life skills to overcome future obstacles. To that end, the government has engaged Room to Read as a key partner in establishing career guidance and counseling centers in all schools.  

These centers are intended to provide crucial support in helping adolescent children build social and emotional skills and address mental health challenges. Room to Read is working strategically and across sectors to develop an effective model for ensuring these centers offer valuable and supportive services to all children in Sri Lanka.