It is a Shared Responsibility for Our Children build on Everyone’s Insights
The Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the new education reform is not owned by the Ministry of Education, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, or Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya but a national responsibility to be fulfilled collectively, through meaningful changes shaped by the understanding, insights, and proposals of all citizens.
The Prime Minister made these remarks today (02 August) during an awareness program held at the Northern Province Chief Secretary’s Office Auditorium, organized to brief the educational authorities of the Northern Province about the new education reform initiative.
Addressing the event, the Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya further elaborated:
Under the current education system, children who enter school in Grade 1 are not graduating with hope or happiness for the future. We must create a more child-friendly school environment and improve teaching methods. Our schools should produce not only doctors and engineers but also entrepreneurs, artists, and professionals with technical expertise.
This reform does not concern only one province, district, or region but it is important to all. True equality starts there. If we want all children in the country to have equal opportunities, we cannot concentrate resources in just one area. They must be distributed fairly, with special attention to under-resourced and disadvantaged regions.
In addition to solving teacher shortages, we must develop every school with digital facilities, well-equipped classrooms, sanitation, access to clean water, sports grounds, laboratories, innovation spaces, and aesthetic units.
We possess a competent plan to achieve this. Evaluation and assessment are also crucial. We aim to build a more child-centered learning and teaching environment, producing responsible citizens from our schools.
That is why we are engaging in public dialogue. This is not a reform owned by the Ministry of Education, Harini Amarasuriya, or President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This is a national reform of Sri Lanka’s education system. Everyone must be aware and involved.
This dialogue must continue because we are carrying out this reform step by step. If we wait until everything is perfectly ready, we’ll have to wait another ten years. Therefore, this reform will commence for Grade 1 and Grade 6 in 2026.
We are continuously listening to your feedback and suggestions, remaining flexible and implementing positive changes but we continue with a clear vision.
Everyone agrees that all children in our country deserve better education so, don’t look at this reform through a narrow view. This is a comprehensive package for the entire educational structure.
We cannot divide schools into linear ministry and provincial categories anymore. All children of this country are our children. We cannot work in isolation. We must work together. Over the next five years, we must work closely and collaboratively for the sake of children.
We invite you to create dialogue on education reform. So far, we’ve held discussions with teacher unions, professionals, and university academics and we will continue to do so.
All sectors of society, including parents, must be part of this process.
The event was attended by the Minister of Fisheries Ramalingam Chandrasekeran, Northern Province Governor Nahalinkam Vedanayagam, Members of Parliament, Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwawa, officials representing the Ministry of Education, National Institute of Education, Department of Examinations, and Northern Province education authorities.
Prime Minister’s Media Division