The ninth phase of the islandwide programme to recognise outstanding achievers of G.C.E. Advanced Level implemented by the Presidential Fund, was held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya on the 14 th of December at Temple Trees.

Under this phase, students from the Western Province who obtained excellent results at the G.C.E. Advanced Level Examinations in the year 2023 and 2024 were recognised. Accordingly, 361 outstanding students from the Colombo, Gampaha and Kalutara districts were awarded scholarships amounting to LKR 36.1 million by the Presidential Fund.

Addressing at the event, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the Presidential Fund is a public fund belonging to the people, and that the government has made a special effort to ensure it is perceived and functions in the interest of the general public.

The Prime Minister further noted that the government has succeeded in transforming the Presidential Fund which previously seen as accessible mainly to those holding special power or positions, and characterised by complex procedures difficult for ordinary citizens into a simplified system that allows applications to be submitted online and through Divisional Secretariat offices near you.

The Prime Minister emphasised that all these programmes are being implemented with the objective of developing human resources in a manner compatible with the contemporary world with the aim of moving the country forward. She further stated that the government is committed to nurturing human resources capable of understanding and navigating the complexities of the modern world.

She noted that in this regard, a new agenda has been initiated to bring a transformation into the education system from 2026 onwards, with the aim of producing productive and responsible citizens.

The Prime Minister also stressed the need to nurture a responsible human resource that values democracy, loves and protects the environment, demonstrates leadership, compassion, and a sense of collectivity.

The Prime Minister reiterated that every government has intervened in the education of students using public funds generated through the taxes paid by all citizens, and noted that, it is precisely because you possess the ability to serve society and provide leadership that you are considered valuable to us.

The Prime Minister stated, the recognition conferred today is an investment in you and those who receive education and recognition under the government intervention bear a responsibility to serve society.

Speaking at the event, Minister of Labour and Deputy Minister of Finance and Planning, Mr. Anil Jayantha, stated that while the Presidential Fund had previously been widely known among the public primarily as a source of financial assistance for severe illnesses such as heart disease, the scope of its utilisation has been expanded under the new government, with education identified as a key focus area.

He further noted that the government’s vision of inclusivity is closely aligned with the objectives of the Presidential Fund.

The event was attended by the Senior Additional Secretary to the President and Secretary to the Presidential Fund, Mr. Roshan Gamage; Members of Parliament Mr. Chandana Sooriyaarachchi, Mr. Chandima Hettiarachchi, and Lieutenant Commander (Retired) Prageeth Madhuranga; Governor of the Western Province Mr. Hanif Yusoof; the Chairman of the University Grants Commission; members of the Board of Management of the Presidential Fund; public officials; the students who were recognised; and their parents and guardians.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that education should not be a burden to children during the recovery period after the disaster, and priority must be given to their psychosocial well-being. The Prime Minister emphasized that this approach would help foster a supportive school environment during disaster situations.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing a discussion held with education authorities of the Nuwara Eliya District on measures to restore educational activities and reopen schools for students following the recent disaster situation.

Although the Ministry of Education has decided to reopen schools island-wide on the 16 th of December, the Prime Minister noted that the authority has been granted to the relevant provincial and district authorities to make decisions regarding the reopening of schools in the affected areas.

The Prime Minister further stated that prior to reopening schools located in high-risk areas, recommendations from the National Building Research Organization must be obtained, and special attention should be paid to access roads and infrastructure. The Prime Minister further mentioned that teachers and students who have experienced hardships should be allowed flexibility in wearing comfortable attire.

During the meeting, District education authorities informed that, despite numerous challenges, educational reforms are progressing rapidly, and that 51% of teacher training activities in the Nuwara Eliya District have already been completed. Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister further stressed that these challenges must be overcome collectively in order to move forward to achieve a better position than before following the disaster situation.

The event was attended by Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Madhura Seneviratne; Chairman of the District Coordinating Committee and Member of Parliament Manjula Suraweera arachchi; Members of Parliament Kalai Chelvi and Anushka Tilakaratne, Nuwara Eliya District Secretary Ms. Thushari Tennakoon; and several government officials.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya met with Mr. Julian Hill, M.P., Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs and Assistant Minister for International Education of Australia, on 11 December 2025 at the Ministry of Education, Isurupaya.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed appreciation for the support extended by the Government of Australia with a contribution of AUD 3.5 million following the recent adverse weather conditions that affected the entire nation to provide humanitarian assistance and restore essential services. The Prime Minister further stated that Sri Lanka has completed search and rescue operations and is now beginning the next phase of recovery, focusing on resettlement, relocation, and rebuilding.

The discussion underscored education, covered bilateral relations, development cooperation, economic and trade ties, tourism, investment opportunities, and regional collaboration. The Prime Minister acknowledged Australia’s longstanding cooperation in the education sector, including development assistance, the expansion of higher education and scholarships offered under the Australia Awards programme.

The representatives reaffirmed Australia’s role as a long-term strategic partner of Sri Lanka and emphasized Australia’s continued commitment to supporting the country’s education sector. They noted that Australia remains dedicated to being a reliable and high-quality partner in advancing Sri Lanka’s education priorities and broader development goals.

The meeting was attended by the Australian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka H.E. Matthew Duckworth, First Assistant Secretary Ms. Karen Ann Sandercock, Chief of Staff Mr. Cameron Geoffrey Green, Deputy High Commissioner of the Australian High Commission in Colombo Ms. Ruth Baird and representing Sri Lanka Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewe, Additional Secretary (Development) Higher Education Sector Ms. Apsara Caldera, and officials from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of foreign affairs.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

A meeting between representatives of UNICEF and Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya was held on the 10 th of December at the Prime Minister&rsquos Office.

During the discussion, an initial review of the new digitalization policy draft was conducted, and it was emphasized that the new digital policy must be formulated to align with the ongoing education reforms.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the digital policy should be developed in a way that supports all five core pillars of the current education reforms, including curriculum reform, infrastructure development, and administrative restructuring.

It was further noted that the current draft is primarily focused on curriculum-related matters, and the digital policy should be structured to influence the overall education reform process.

Extensive discussions were also held on the importance of digital literacy, NEMIS, the provision of digital infrastructure, and minimizing the existing digital divide.

Attention was also drawn to the gaps in the current teacher training mechanisms , and the Prime Minister stressed the need to reduce paper usage.

The meeting was attended by the UNICEF representatives Dr. Emma Brigham and Deborah Wyburn, Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputhanthri, Additional Secretary A.B.M. Ashraff, and several other officials.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the government is taking steps to strengthen local exporters by making trade facilitation, customs procedures, and investment approvals more efficient, and by improving export services.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while addressing the 27th Presidential Export Awards 2024/25 ceremony organized by the Ministry of Industries and Industrial Development together with the Export Development Board.

At this ceremony, which was held to recognize the best exporters of Sri Lanka for the financial year 2024/2025, a total of 107 awards including 15 overall awards and 92 sectoral awards for products and services were presented. Merit awards were also presented to eligible sectors based on applicants’ performance and their contribution to national economic development. Awardees were selected on several criteria such as export market diversification, job creation, growth in export revenue, repatriation of export income, environmental sustainability, institutional social responsibility, and value addition.

Institutions that demonstrated outstanding performance in the export sector were presented with the prestigious Presidential Export Awards for the year under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Minister of Industries and Industrial Development, Mr. Sunil Hadunnetti.

Further expressing her views, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

The Presidential Awards Ceremony for exporters reminds us that Sri Lanka’s progress depends not merely on policies or administration, but on the ability to produce, to create value, and to compete internationally.

Over the past year, we faced numerous challenges. As a result, global markets and supply chains were disrupted. Economic uncertainty prevailed. We faced natural disasters. Despite this, many exporters had to adjust to these changes, reorganize production processes, diversify customers, and adopt digital technologies in order to remain competitive in the market.

The impact of the Ditwah cyclone also affected several industries within the export sector. Production facilities, storage facilities, and transportation routes in affected areas were damaged. Production chains and delivery schedules were disrupted.

Under such a difficult situation, some exporters experienced significant setbacks while trying to meet international export demands.

The government is taking steps to support exporters by assessing the damages they suffered due to the emergency situation, restoring their operations, and helping them recover.

The government is also working to strengthen resilience against future natural disasters and to rebuild affected areas in a way that minimizes the risk of similar situations arising again.

Sri Lanka is currently undergoing a new economic transformation. For many years, instability, policy inconsistencies, and administrative inefficiencies hindered the progress of the country. This weakened investor confidence and made it difficult for businesses to plan ahead.

However, the present government is committed to governance based on stability, transparency, and accountability. This is not a short-term approach. It is a long-term process to ensure that the country does not fall back into uncertainty.

For this purpose, the government is implementing strong fiscal management, predictable policies, clear and simplified regulations, anti-corruption measures, major institutional reforms, measures that allow businesses to plan ahead, instill investor confidence, minimize unnecessary barriers, and support the development of the private sector.

For a long time, we relied heavily on international loans to sustain national expenditures. However, this is not leading a path toward a stable future. Our progress depends on our ability to earn through trade, innovation, and global engagement.

Your ability to take Sri Lankan expertise and creativity to the world is a strength for the entire nation. The government is ready to extend the necessary support to achieve this.

We understand that issues such as policy inconsistencies, delays that increase operational costs, limited access to competitive financing, gaps in infrastructure and technology, weaknesses in trade facilitation, and slow progress in expanding market access have impacted you. I would like to assure you that the government is directly addressing these challenges.

The focus of the government has drawn to build efficient, transparent, and predictable systems, streamlining trade facilitation, customs processes, and investment approvals, improving export facilities, and minimising the gap between local businesses and global markets.

This event was attended by Ministers Kumara Jayakody, Ramalingam Chandrasekaran, Sunil Kumara Gamage; Deputy Ministers Chathuranga Abesingha, Eranga Weerarathna, Arun Hemachandra, Nishantha Jayaweera, Muditha Hansaka Wijayamuni; Governor of the Central Bank Nandalal Weerasinghe; Secretary to the Ministry of Industries and Industrial Development Tilaka Jayasundara; Chairman of the Export Development Board Mangala Wijesinghe, along with ambassadors, foreign delegates, exporters, and a large gathering.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that accurate data is essential for the post-disaster recovery process of the country, and that a structured mechanism with public participation is needed for efficient data collection.

The Prime Minister made these remarks during a discussion held on the 10th of December at the Prime Minister’s Office regarding the country’s recovery process following the recent disaster situation.

During the meeting, Professor Nihal Perera demonstrated how national development should take place in harmony with nature while minimizing natural disasters.

Addressing the meeting, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further stated:

One of the main challenges we face when moving towards a new development framework is the limited access to a proper system to consolidate data from various sectors into a single platform.

Establishing a data-collection mechanism that includes both state officials at ground level and community participation is extremely important. It is the people at the village level who best understand the accurate ground realities. Therefore, setting up a proper data-collecting mechanism at divisional and district levels is vital.

Expressing views, Deputy Minister of Mass Media Kaushalya Ariyarathna stated:

The recent disaster situation gave us a clear understanding of how practical and effective the actions led through community participation. During the recent floods, we successfully carried out relief activities in Kaduwela with the active participation of the local community. In that case, the division committee model became extremely useful. If a similar community-based structure such as Praja Shakthi committees or division councils can be used for data collection, it would be highly beneficial.

Secretary to the Prime Minister Pradeep Saputantri noted that one of the key issues related to data is the lack of proper coordination among state institutions. Poor institutional collaboration and officials limiting their responsibilities strictly within their designated boundaries have led to this situation. Therefore, establishing an integrated data-collection mechanism covering all Grama Niladhari divisions is extremely important.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making and the need to raise awareness among both officials and the public at the regional level regarding this matter.

The event was attended by the Additional Secretaries to the Prime Minister and several other officials.

Prime Minister’s Media Division