The history of education in Sri Lanka is a long one. In the third century BC Brahmins and Buddhist monks educated locals in religion, reading and writing. 

During the colonial era the education system began to change into what it is today: several single-sex schools were established that were largely free of charge thanks to government grants and donations from local philanthropists.

In 1945 the Free Education policy came into effect giving every child aged five to 16 access to free education. Since then, every government has allocated significant funds to improve and standardise Sri Lanka’s education system. Over the years, free education in Sri Lanka has progressed to include free uniforms and textbooks plus scholarships and bursaries.