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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
10th Parliament· 154 sittings on record · 30,475 speeches · latest 10 June 2026

Sitting of Friday, 23 May 2025

10th Parliament· 12 debates· 177 speeches· 55 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1750228312097834 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard

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Order of business

Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.

  5. 5 Oral question Oral Question 6: Compulsory Teaching of Languages in Schools (Q.222/2024) 7 speeches
    • Mr. Speaker procedural
      Full speech →
    • The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB

      AI summary S.M. Marikkar asked the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education whether the Government has plans to make Sinhala compulsory in Tamil-medium schools and Tamil compulsory in Sinhala-medium schools. He sought details on the implementation timeframe, availability of teachers for this purpose, and measures to fill any related teacher vacancies, or reasons if no such plan exists.

      EducationEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary Sinhala is currently taught as a second language to Tamil-medium students and Tamil to Sinhala-medium students from Grades 6 to 9, with optional second-language subjects available in Grades 10 and 11. Curriculum reform beginning with Grade 6 in 2026 will continue this approach, while as of 31 December 2024 there were 820 vacancies for Second Language Sinhala teachers and 2,099 for Second Language Tamil teachers. The reply states that National Diploma in Education holders are being recruited to address these gaps, with appointments effective from 2 May 2025 including 95 Sinhala and 69 Tamil second-language teachers, and future intake adjustments at National Colleges of Education to be considered.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB

      AI summary Hon. S.M. Marikkar asked the Prime Minister whether second-language learning is compulsory or optional in schools, noting that Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim communities often live together across many provinces. He argued that Sinhala children learning Tamil and Tamil and Muslim children learning Sinhala is important for reconciliation, and asked whether the Government intends to make such language study compulsory if it is currently optional.

      Ethnic Reconciliation & DevolutionEducation Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that, while education reforms aim to reduce students’ subject load, learning each other’s languages remains essential. She said the Government is moving to make relevant language subjects compulsory from Grades 6 to 9 and to promote language and cultural learning outside the classroom through joint activities among Sinhala, Tamil and Muslim children, ideally from Grades 1 to 13.

      EducationEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Full speech →
    • The Hon. S.M. Marikkar SJB

      AI summary S.M. Marikkar thanked the Prime Minister for the response and emphasized that trust is essential for harmony and effective functioning. Referring to the reported gap between around 2,000 Tamil teacher vacancies and only 69 recruitments, he urged the Government to complete the recruitments within six months and establish a formal mechanism from 1 January 2026.

      EducationEthnic Reconciliation & Devolution Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that addressing teacher shortages requires both long-term recruitment and training, noting that producing a qualified teacher takes three to four years. She said online and blended learning could be used as an interim measure while sufficient teachers are trained and deployed.

      Education Full speech →