The Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya participated in the annual festival of the historic national shrine of Our Lady of Matara on September 13.

This year marks the 118th annual anniversary of the shrine. On this occasion, a special blessing ceremony was conducted by Rev. Dr. Jude Nishantha Silva, Bishop of Badulla, and Rev. Dr. Raymond Wickramasinghe, Bishop of Galle on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Thereafter, a special cordial meeting was held between the Prime Minister and interfaith leaders of the Matara region in the main hall of the shrine.

Expressing her felicitations to the historic celebration of the shrine on behalf of the Government and His Excellency the President, the Prime Minister stated that it was a great privilege to take part in this occasion.

The Prime Minister further stated:

The unity, justice, and equality uphold through solidarity and unity between this shrine and other religious places in the city is commendable. It should exist beyond Matara to the whole country. We need to carry out that example. I am grateful to all of your lordships and venerable theros for giving us that example. I also pray that you receive the strength and courage to continue this service for society and for social justice."

The occasion was graced by the presence of Most Rev. Dr. Jude Nishantha Silva, Bishop of Badulla, Most Rev. Dr. Raymond Wickramasinghe, Bishop of Galle; Very Rev. Fr. Michael Rajendram, Vicar General of Galle; Rev. Fr. Jude Sampath Wilegoda, Administrator of the Shrine of Our Lady of Mathara; Buddhist leaders including the Chief Incumbent of the Matara Kotuwe Ratnapala Pirivena and Maha Mantinda Pirivena, Shastravedi Panditha Ven. Indrananda Nayake Thero of Tissamaharama; Chief Incumbent of Kotuwegoda Jayasumanaramaya Temple, Ven. Yatigala Somatilaka Nayake Thero; together with the Venerable Maha Sangha, and interfaith leaders, Leader of the Opposition Mr. Sajith Premadasa, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Ms. Saroja Paulraj, Governor of the Southern Province Mr. Bandula Harischandra, along with a large number of distinguished invitees.

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The Prime Minister & Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya made this remark while participating in the official launch of STEM Feed in Sri Lanka, a new in-app destination for credible science, technology, engineering and mathematics content available in TikTok on 11th of September 2025 at ITC Hotel Ratnadipa, Colombo.

This initiative embarks on a new era where TikTok will come together to reimagine how education can be accessed, shared, and strengthened in a digital-first world setting the stage for a transformative initiative aimed at expanding digital learning opportunities for the country’s youth.

Delivering the keynote address the Prime Minister emphasized the government’s initiative on establishing the Task Force that brings together a multidisciplinary team of officials, educators, academics, technology experts, child protection advocates, and private sector partners aiming to make Sri Lanka’s education system inclusive, future-ready, and resilient.

The Prime Minister commended the partnerships of global platforms like TikTok in stepping forward to align with our national priorities and supporting to inspire young people in STEM subjects and to make knowledge engaging and accessible beyond textbooks. She further encouraged the dedicated feed of STEM to focus on STEAM subjects including Arts and Humanities in building an innovative, balanced, and empowered youth generation.

Commenting on this milestone for digital education, Ferdous Mottakin, Head of Public Policy & Government Relations for South Asia at TikTok, stated that the launch of the STEM Feed in Sri Lanka is not only about expanding access to educational content, but also about ensuring that such learning takes place within a safe, transparent, and trusted digital environment.

The event was attended by the Ferdous Mottakin, Head of public policy and government relations, south Asia, TikTok, Secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri, Eranga Weeraratne, Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Chairman of National Education Commission Prof. A. Sarath Ananda along with government officials, Media personnel and creators.

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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, speaking in Parliament today (11th), stated that she condemns the immoral threat made by Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Prasad Siriwardena towards Member of Parliament Lakmali Hemachandra. She further requested the Hon. Speaker to devise a formal system to regulate and prevent immoral conduct by Members of Parliament.

The Prime Minister further stated that a Member of Parliament who also functions as the Opposition Leader’s media spokesperson had spoken in a threatening manner to MP Lakmali Hemachandra. She emphasized that such conduct cannot be considered merely a personal threat but must be viewed as offensive behavior and an act of violence, especially in a context where Sri Lanka records the lowest female parliamentary representation in South Asia.

The Prime Minister further observed that 22 female MPs, who represent all the women of the country, have been elected to Parliament through much effort, and that the intimidation they face reflects the broader challenges encountered by women across society. She stressed that threatening a female MP who speaks on behalf of women is in fact a threat to all women in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Amarasuriya noted that the people of the country have already expressed their disapproval of such conduct, including through public reactions on social media, and urged opposition MPs to take note of this sentiment and change their behavior.

She further stated that little girls across the nation look up to women parliamentarians as role models, and the behavior of MPs directly influences their aspirations.

The Prime Minister therefore reiterated her call for a system to be established to regulate and prevent unethical behavior within Parliament, ensuring that debates are conducted with dignity and respect.

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A System to pay bus fare via bank cards

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that, in line with Digital Economy Month, the official website aigov.lk on Artificial Intelligence is launched, and a system enabling passengers to pay bus fares via bank cards will be introduced.

The Prime Minister made these remarks today (10) in Parliament, responding to a question raised by a Member of Parliament.

The Prime Minister further stated that September has been declared as a Digital Economy Month as a part of the national initiative to accelerate in becoming a digitally empowered nation. One of the objectives is to raise public awareness on digitalization and demonstrate the government’s commitment towards building a digital economy in the future. Forwarding that purpose numerous programs will be conducted continuously in the month of September.

These programs aim to raise awareness among citizens, businesses, and institutions about the importance of identifying and using digital tools, as well as to accelerate every sector to adapt into the e-Government platforms, digital financial solutions, and innovations driven by Artificial Intelligence.

The government expects that accelerating digital projects implemented by the Ministry of Digital Economy with the partner institutions will allow citizens and businesses to receive the benefits promptly. By 2030, the government expects to expand Sri Lanka’s digital economy by USD 15 billion, and 12% of GDP, and to increase the digital exports up to USD 5 billion, and expand the digital workforce to 2 lakh.

This Digital Economy Month creates a platform to communicate these aspirations and to achieve these objectives by mobilizing both the public and private sectors. Another objective is to position Sri Lanka as a leading hub in South Asia for technological innovation, digitalization, and Artificial Intelligence development.

Digital Economy Month is not only a symbolic initiative but also a practical mechanism to bring out Sri Lanka’s digital ambitions to the world by accelerating awareness and it is a program that will deliver direct benefits to citizens in the future through innovation, efficiency, and opportunities. Accordingly, various programs such as awareness events and exhibitions on digitalization, startup showcases, entrepreneurship, innovation, and ecosystem demonstrations will be held on 17, 18, 19, and 20 of September .

Accordingly, the Sri Lanka FinTech Summit, focusing on promoting new solutions for digital financial adaptation, is scheduled for 24 and 25 of September. The National AI Expo is scheduled for 29 and 30 September. National-level awareness programs on digitalization, public exhibitions introducing digital government services and paperless solutions, media campaigns on the benefits of digital tools, capacity building and education initiatives, training courses and workshops on digital skills, entrepreneurship, and technological transformation for youth, SMEs, and professionals, as well as outreach programs focusing on universities and schools to promote future ICT and digital sector careers will take place throughout the month . In addition, awareness programs in provincial-level on e-Government solutions, dialogues with industry leaders and policymakers on digital economic challenges and opportunities, and academic discussions have also been organized.

In addition, in line with Digital Economy Month, several initiatives such as launch of National Cyber security Operations by Sri Lanka CERT, launch of the National Certification Authority operations, launch of the National Cyber security Strategy, Expansion of the government’s digital payments platform govpay to enable on-the-spot payments for traffic fines, establishment of a National Transportation Payment Platform enabling bus fare payments via bank cards and QR codes, launch of the government’s official AI platform aigov.lk, development of a Digital Economy Experience Center, introduction of a self-registration system for SIM cards, and provision of 5G facilities by the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission have been already organized.

The Ministry of Digital Economy is currently conducting studies and assessments on the infrastructure requirements for digitalization across the country. For example, the Ministry of Education is already carrying out surveys in every province, educational zone, and school to identify their specific needs. Align with that, both the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Digital Economy have conducted a colleborative program to provide the necessary infrastructure. Similarly, other ministries are also implementing the required measures for digitalization.

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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the government will take necessary measures to provide solutions without causing any injustice to the student of Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while responding to a question raised by Member of Parliament Ramanathan Archchuna today (09) in Parliament.

The Prime Minister further stated:

The committee appointed for the purpose of investigating the issues relating to Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine. has submitted recommendations under two main solutions.

The first recommendation is to continue the existing courses of the university by affiliating them with other suitable universities or assigning students to similar courses available in other universities. The second recommendation is to maintain the university as it is, while providing the necessary resources and facilities to conduct the existing courses in a formal and qualitative manner.

Discussions are being held with the relevant parties to select the most appropriate recommendation from the two, and this will take some time.

It is the government’s expectation to provide solutions without causing injustice to any student. Therefore, steps will be taken to provide solutions expeditiously before the completion of the degree program of the first batch.

The committee has decided not to change the specializations of the existing course whichever recommendation is implemented from the above. If a certain course is conducted only in this university in Sri Lanka, discussions will be held with the relevant parties to provide more suitable specifications.

Respective consultations were held among the stakeholder ro appropriately revise the curricula of the BSc (Hons) in Indigenous Medicinal Resources and BHSc (Hons) in Indigenous Pharmaceutical Technology degree programs offered under the Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences & Technology. The committee has also instructed that similar consultations be conducted for the other programs.

Measures are being taken to identify employers to ensure job opportunities related to the degree programs. For problematic programs without direct job opportunities, curricular revisions will be made or students will be assigned to programs that can ensure employment opportunities.

Currently the university is working to resolve the issue related to the inadequate infrastructure. Accordingly, the faculty currently located in Nugegoda will be relocated to a spacious building near the main university in Gampaha, while some departments of the Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences & Technology will be shifted to another nearby location.

Instructions have been given to the University Grants Commission to temporarily suspend new admissions for the Faculty of Indigenous Health Sciences & Technology, the Faculty of Indigenous Social Sciences & Management, and the Faculty of Graduate Studies.

The Prime Minister further stated that investigations are being conducted into the irregularities committed in the recruitment process of academic staff, and legal action will be taken in this regards.

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The national program to introduce 100 new Young Inventor Clubs into the school system, organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology, was held on September 8 at the Auditorium of the Faculty of Medicine, University of Colombo, under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Minister of Science and Technology Prof. Chishantha Abeysena.

At this event, the official commencement of establishing the School Young Inventor Clubs was symbolically marked by presenting Innovation Tokens to nine schools representing all provinces of the country by the Prime Minister.

Key topics discussed during the event included the potential contribution of innovation promotion to the national economy, opportunities and challenges in school-based innovation, the role of teachers in establishing School Young Inventor Clubs, the importance of obtaining patents for inventions, the significance of educational reforms, and the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in contributing to a creative workforce for the nation.

Addressing the event, the Prime Minister emphasized the importance of creating a new generation that is capable of seeking solutions to global challenges and she further highlighted the need for a new education system that goes beyond the traditional framework. The Prime Minister also stated that the value of an innovator is not determined by educational qualifications, academic degrees, or the number of patents they hold, but rather by the contribution they make toward building a better society.

The Prime Minister further noted that it is the responsibility of the government to create an enabling environment and to promote socially responsible, compassionate, and humanitarian innovators who have a sense of empathy and accountability toward society.

The Prime Minister further stated:

What we need is not merely a generation that knows about data. We need a generation with the creative intelligence to question the accuracy and reliability of that data, to see things differently, and to use information to change the world. We need people with curiosity about the world, people who can think outside of the box, looking at things in a new way, and pursuing knowledge, information, and data with purpose.

Addressing the event, Prof. Chrishantha Abeysena remarked that innovation should be advanced as a priority, with key responsibilities resting on both the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Ministry of Education. He further noted that the country’s most valuable resource is its younger generation who envision a future for the nation by engaging in innovative work. He assured that the government is committed to providing their support for children in their pursuit of innovation.

The event was attended by the Chairman of the University Grants Commission Senior Prof. Kapila Senewiratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, Secretary to the Ministry of Science and Technology Mr. W. L. Mohamed Nawawi, Commissioner of the Sri Lanka Inventors Commission Prof. Werenja Karunaratne, as well as invited guests, principals, teachers, and groups of school children engaged in innovation.

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