There is increasing interest in understanding and describing the links between education and
‘social cohesion’. However, the theoretical and empirical base for understanding these links is
limited. There is also a shortage of practical tools for education policy-makers and planners, to
help them assess the impact of policies and investments, and to plan for future reform. This paper
describes the initial development of an analytical and planning framework for addressing education
and social cohesion within the context of a sector-wide approach to education reform in Sri Lanka.
A brief literature review suggests three inter-connected domains in which links between education
and social cohesion might be usefully analysed, together with three working hypotheses: (i) political
economy/governance: education affects social cohesion through transparency and participation in
education policy formulation, planning and management; (ii) equity/equality of opportunity:
education affects social cohesion through the distribution of education resources, opportunities
and outcomes; (iii) teaching/learning: education affects social cohesion through the development of
certain competencies in students. Drawing on this analytical framework, research conducted in Sri
Lanka is used to identify a set of interventions to promote social cohesion, with corresponding
baseline, process and outcome indicators as benchmarks for measuring the progress and impact of
intended policy measures. This process is described within the context of a ‘sector-wide approach’
to education reform, intended to bring together the activities of the government and external
partners within a single comprehensive medium-term planning and budgetary framework.