Think of the children in Sri Lanka's economic crisis.

Sri Lanka hangs on the precipice of losing its much-lauded educational achievements after two and half years of interrupted learning from COVID-19 and now an economic collapse. Often viewed as a model of post-colonial success, with a long history of free and compulsory education and high literacy rates, Sri Lanka's education system and children face an uncertain future.

Sri Lankan families are not only unable to afford to send their children to school, they can barely afford to feed them. How the Sri Lankan government responds and whether civil society will hold their government accountable will largely determine whether this crisis will be a catalyst for the transformation of an obsolete education system or a future in which Sri Lanka loses its educational gains and possibly its...