Why it is important to support Arts students

We normally work in some of the poorest parts of Sri Lanka. The schools in these areas have limited facilities. They normally do not offer science, mathematics or commerce streams. Only arts stream is available. Even in art stream limited subjects are available: History, Geography, Tamil and religious studies (Hinduism or Christianity) are the staple subjects at these schools.

There are also instances where, the parents could not afford to send their kids to schools that offered science, mathematics or commerce streams. For these students their only option was to follow the arts stream.

87 Initiative believes that the students in these areas need a fair chance to come up in life. They should not be disadvantaged or discriminated because they followed art stream for no fault of their own.

Following a university degree, also provides personal growth to these students. Generally, these students have not been exposed to growth opportunities that students in urban areas have been exposed to. University provides them this exposure and most of them go through an accelerated personal growth at university. Thus, university education also doubles up as a significant personal growth experience.

If the 87 Initiative is to make a difference in these poor areas, we have to support everybody, without imposing our personal views which are based on quite different circumstances. Need should be the most

What are we doing to improve employment prospects for arts students

87 Initiative recognizes that just providing financial support is not going to enable these students to break the cycle of poverty. We have to provide on-going support and mentoring to ensure the art stream students make the right choices along the way.important factor in supporting these students.

With 87 Initiative more established on the ground and more established processes in place we are doing the following:

During our visits to schools, we are highlighting the importance of taking subjects outside the traditional few. We are encouraging the teachers to recommend students entering A/L art stream to take at least one subject that is not from History, Geography, Tamil and religious studies (Hinduism or Christianity).These students generally do not have proper guidance and they follow what the other students before them have done, which is to take the afore mentioned subjects.

Our field officers work with students entering A/L arts stream and encourage them to take economics or media studies or ICT or Agritech as one of the subjects. This gives the students more course choices in university.

Working with students who have got university admission to choose courses that are more marketable. While the subject choices are limited at school level, there are large number of choices at university level: Economics and Statistics, ICT, Media Studies, Sports Science and Management, Hospitality and Tourism Management. We are trying to break the mentality of doing a general degree and waiting for a teacher’s appointment.

Help with CV preparation and interviews when applying for jobs for final year students. This is an initiative we have started with all final year university students. For almost all the students this will be the first time they are preparing their CV and even the limited improvements we are able to make, makes a significant overall improvement.

Working with and mentoring students on graduation on career choices. Encouraging them to follow professional courses e.g. accounting.

We are in the early stages of these initiatives, and we are already noticing encouraging results. There were six art students in the 2025 intake. Two of them changed their course choices after discussion with us.

We will continue to work at all levels: A/L, University and graduate level to improve the employability of the art students.

What are our arts students doing on graduation

The jobs these students have got were determined more by their drive than the degree: in short it all depends on these individual students and their willingness to thrive. We have students going onto work in banks or companies like Cargills after completing a degree in Economics. Number of other students have got jobs with foreign NGOs after finishing Sociology.

A large number of these students work as teachers. Increasingly we are encouraging them to start their own business without waiting for a government job e.g. giving music lessons, photography business etc.

A number of these students have struggled to get jobs as well. With Government annual intake reducing significantly it will continue to affect all new graduates.

In closing

87 Initiative will continue to focus on lifting the individual. We have seen the significance of breaking the glass ceiling for these communities, where one person showing the way gives the family and the community the belief that they can do it too.

We will continue to provide support based on need. However, we recognize that there is lot more to be done, and we have started initiatives to improve the job prospects of these students.This is a long-term process, and we are prepared for that.