Social exclusion, and mistrust of state-led early childhood care and education policies: a qualitative case study in the estate sector of Sri Lanka

Providing quality early childhood care and education (ECCE) services is crucial, especially for children in most disadvantaged backgrounds. The present study thus examined how social exclusion in the estate sector (inhabited by hill country Tamil people who work as laborers in tea plantations) of Sri Lanka leads to a mistrust of policy interventions, which has negative implications for implementing ECCE policies. A qualitative case study design was employed, and data were drawn from three key informant interviews, twenty in-depth interviews, and four focus group discussions. Data were analyzed thematically. The analysis revealed that certain aspects of state-led ECCE policies are not designed to reflect and respect the needs of estate dwellers. Also, the mistrust of external organizations that are responsible for ECCE policy interventions denies estate dwellers from developing progressive relationships with them. The unique interplay between social exclusion and social capital in the estate communities is thus one of the primary reasons for the difficulty in implementing ECCE policies.