Steps will be taken to remove the controversial lesson in the Grade 6 English module
These modules have not been distributed to students
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that they are open to engage in discussions on the Education Reform Concept Paper emphasizing that such dialogue should not be used to unnecessarily promote websites. She further noted that approval has been granted by the National Institute of Education (NIE) to remove the controversial lesson included in the Grade 6 English module.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while responding to a question raised by Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa in Parliament today (07th of January).
Addressing further, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
The concept paper was taken up for discussion at the Education Advisory Council. Action has been taken to distribute the concept paper to all Members of Parliament and uploaded to the website. It was discussed in Parliament. Members were invited to participate in these discussions, and several MPs did take part. We remain open to holding further discussions. We are ready to further develop or deliberate on the concept paper, and we have no objection in regard to that.
The inclusion of these modules are not mentioned in the concept paper. The concept paper outlines the proposed structural changes of the framework of the reforms. As soon as this incident was reported, we initiated an inquiry. The NIE follows a specific process and methodology for preparing modules. We have begun an investigation to determine how that process changed, how such content was included, and who is responsible.
The governing council of the NIE is responsible for disciplinary matters of the institution. Accordingly, the NIE appointed former Secretary Mr. Ranjith Ariyaratne yesterday to conduct a preliminary investigation. Based on the findings of this initial inquiry, a broader investigation will be carried out to determine how procedural changes led to this incident.
Immediately after the incident was reported, we sealed the book as previously stated. The book has not been distributed to students. Approval has been granted by the Education Advisory Board of the NIE to remove the relevant lesson, and we will proceed with removing it.
I request that, when engaging in this dialogue, we refrain from unnecessarily promoting websites on this matter. The distribution of the lesson to students has already been stopped. Since the error was identified, we are taking investigative and corrective action. Let us discuss this matter constructively. If there are proposals on how to further strengthen this process, we are ready to welcome them. We are also open to further discussions on the concept paper if required. However, I propose that we conduct these discussions without using them as a means to promote unnecessary websites.
Prime Minister’s Media Division