Is the grass really greener on the other side? The intricacies of getting the green light on sustainable education for Sri Lankan International schools.

Abstract

International schools worldwide are known for being neo-liberal drivers of change. They are educational businesses that have potential to cater for an affluent clientele. In Sri Lanka, international schools have already unified a fragmented society by being co-educational havens for people from different ethnic and linguistic backgrounds as long as they can afford the school fees. This fee-levying structure attempts at segregating society into those that can afford an English medium education with global access and those unable to do so. The standard and quality of international schools however, vary significantly. This paper examines the potential of Sri Lankan international schools to be advocates of global citizenship and thereby drivers for sustainable development. While the envisioned Education for Sustainable