Right to Create: Embedding Creativity in Educational Policy in Sri Lanka
Ayomi Indika Irugalbandara
*
Department of Secondary and Tertiary Education, Faculty of Education, The Open University of Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Sri Lanka’s educational tradition is deeply rooted in a cultural legacy that has celebrated art, music, drama, and storytelling for over 3,000 years. However, this rich artistic heritage is not adequately reflected in the country’s current formal education system, which often marginalizes creative development in favour of rote learning and standardized assessment. Creativity remains an underexplored and undervalued component of the curriculum, with limited support for fostering students’ initiative, critical thinking, and conceptual understanding. This study investigates how creativity is perceived, implemented, and experienced within aesthetic education in Sri Lankan secondary schools. Using a qualitative approach that combines document analysis and reflective inquiry, the research draws on over two decades of the researcher’s experience as a teacher educator in aesthetic subjects, and their role as an evaluator of Post Graduate Diploma in Education and Bachelor of Education Honours in Drama and Theatre degree programmes. Findings reveal a persistent gap between policy rhetoric and classroom practice, showing that creativity is often treated as an ancillary skill rather than a central pedagogical principle. The study advocates for comprehensive policy reform that embeds creativity at the core of the national curriculum. It calls for a shift from tokenistic approaches to more substantive pedagogical and institutional changes, ensuring that creative expression and critical thinking are integral to the learning experience of every student in Sri Lanka.
Keywords: Creativity, critical thinking, aesthetic education, educational policy, student voice, Sri Lanka