Chapter 4 Northern Province Education System in Sri Lanka: Participatory Review, Recommendation, Implementation, and Monitoring

Abstract

This chapter presents a case study of Sri Lanka’s Northern Education System Review as an example of participatory action research (PAR) for educational development and policy making. We propose using the term “participatory action research and implementation” (PARI) so that both research and implementation are integrated into participatory processes from the start of any action research project. In addition to reviewing the context of education in postwar Sri Lanka, we describe the steps taken and challenges encountered in the large-scale participatory review process that generated 245 recommendations for education in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province. The establishment of a Recommendation Implementation and Monitoring Panel is highlighted.