Youth Aspirations and Expectations in Sri Lanka following Economic Liberalisation. Location Study 7: Nachchaduwa

Abstract

This is one of a series of reports examining shifts in the aspirations of youth for livelihoods, education and qualifications following the policies of economic liberalisation introduced from 1978. It examines shifts over time through comparisons of youth aspirations with the recollected aspirations of the youth’s parents. The study of aspirations is based exclusively on interviews with household members from different class groups. This report focuses on households in Nachchaduwa, a Muslim village in the country’s North Central Province. Livelihood activities in Nachchaduwa are predominantly based on foreign employment and business. Key points identified by the surveys include: female unemployment is very high, at 80%, while a third of men (33%) are also unemployed 21% of parents had aspired to university education, but none attained it 86% of young women aspired to university more than three quarters of young people did not believe that they had the means to achieve their aspirations for education or professional qualifications, due mainly to a lack of aptitude more than 90 per cent of young people had vocational aspirations and believed that they have the means to achieve them while 92% of young people desired work in the government sector, 58% believed that they would ultimately work for a foreign or joint venture private company