Key Factors Influencing Education Disparity in the Low-Grown Tea Cultivation Community of Sri Lanka

抄録

Education indicators in Sri Lanka compare well with other South Asian countries relative to economic standards. However, educational disparities between living sectors (urban, rural, individual farming, and estate) remain, and children in the estate sector face the greatest challenges in improving educational attainment. Tea is a prominent industry in the estate sector, with several common types of tea cultivation management, and the educational attainments of children whose parents work in this sector have been previously found to vary depending on the cultivation management type in which their parents are involved. This study aimed to investigate the factors that contribute to children's educational disparities, specifically by focusing on the different management types within the low-grown tea cultivation community. This study adopted a two-step mixed-method analysis. The first step examined children’s educational disparity among four living sectors across 9 tea-growing districts, using data from the Child Activity Survey 2008/09. The second step investigated educational disparities within three management types (plantation companies, private estates, and individual farming) of the tea cultivation community. Quantitative analysis employed cross-tabulation, while qualitative analysis relied on questionnaires and interviews. Six indicators of the children's environment were considered key factors influencing educational disparities, with school enrollment status as an indicator of educational attainment. The quantitative analysis revealed that children in the estate sector had the lowest school enrollment rates, particularly those belonging to private estate communities. Contrary to the widely-held belief that household income is a significant factor in educational disparities, it was not found to be statistically significant within either the estate sector or the tea cultivation community. The qualitative analysis indicated that relocation is one of the factors contributing to the low enrollment status of private estate children. It also suggested that other indicators, such as household income, are interconnected factors contributing to educational disparities.