Social Support of School Management & Stakeholders and Wellbeing of Students in Sri Lankan Schools: Special Reference to Government Schools in the Hambantota District

This study explored the experiences of principals, teachers, students and parents on social support of school management & stakeholders and wellbeing of students with special reference to government schools in the Hambantota district in Sri Lanka. This study employed a mixed method, and case study and survey approaches were also used in studying the research problem. The main research question was: what are the experiences of the principals, teachers, parents, and students on the social support provided by school management and stakeholders for student wellbeing? Purposive and random sampling techniques were employed in order to select the participants in this study. Data gathered in administering semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, informal observations and informal discussions. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis and descriptive statistical tools. It was revealed that: Students are suffering due to their poor family background, and they are not provided required minimum emotional support from school management and teachers. The school attendance is very poor of some students since they usually engage with agricultural activities. The majority of children show poor performance. The majority of students do not have sufficient minimum resources for their academic activities. The schools are also not rich enough in providing such facilities to their students. The poor physical environment and lack of resources impact badly on students’ wellbeing. The majority of parents of the students are not well educated, and So, they do not seem to have the confidence to provide necessary advises and instructions about their children’s education. The students face challenges in finding good quality instructions and advises in developing their educational background, attitudes, values, self-confidence, soft skills and also hard skills. The student counselors in some schools do not have sufficient training, qualifications as counselors. The education authorities must pay immediate attention to these schools since the students are being faced with a difficult time in those schools. The schools need to be given sufficient number of quality resources and staff members. The staff members need to be motivated to provide a better service to these students.