Focus areas

Child Friendly Approach to Education

In 2002, Sri Lanka started piloting the Child Friendly Approach (CFA) to education with support from UNICEF. In 2009 the case study “Mainstreaming Child-Friendly Schools in Sri Lanka” found that CFA:

• Improves the way teachers teach children;
• Creates safer environments for children;
• Improves community participation in schools; and
• Improves student attendance.

The CFA was expanded to reach 1,500 schools by 2012 with financial support from the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and other partners. Between 2008 and 2012 the Ministry of Education improved data collection tools and the monitoring of school performance providing evidence for future planning.