Obtaining community support for implementing the secondary school curriculum in sri lanka

A school is an institution that operates within a formal administrative pattern that is bound to serve a specific community. The implementation of a school’s curriculum cannot be achieved with only the involvement of the teachers and students of a school, it is also essential to obtain the support of the community. The community can offer their maximum support to the school not only on a financial basis but also through labour and their knowledge of school activities. The main purpose of this research was to find out how community support can be obtained by schools. The objectives were to understand the importance of seeking community support in implementing the current secondary curriculum and identifying the problems faced by schools in the projects implemented on the basis of community support. This study employed a survey research design using a questionnaire to collect data, using a random sample of a total of 300 students from twelve schools representing 1 AB, 1C and National Schools. According to the responses the students were of the opinion that parents should participate in school activities. They have responded positively to the idea that the outside community participates in school activities. The responses also emphasised several programmes that can be developed with the help of the community. The student responses also identified some problems that can emerge with obtaining community support. The findings recommend that schools should identify specialized individuals in the surrounding community and organize programmes to connect them to the school as resource persons. They also highlight that community contributions can be beneficial to both the school as well as the community.