Sitting of Thursday, 24 July 2025
Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 1754026625097211 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
Order of business
Speeches load per item. Summaries shown here are AI-generated and labelled; verbatim text is on each speech page.
- 1 Opening Opening: Parliament met and Privilege notice 1 speeches
- 2 Papers Papers: Annual Reports and Committee Reports 9 speeches
- 3 Petitions Petitions: Citizens' petitions presented 5 speeches
- 4 Oral question Oral Question: Apeksha Hospital Treatment and Medicines (Q.1) 6 speeches
- 5 Oral question Oral Question: Fisheries Matter (Q.2) and Procedural Remarks 11 speeches
- 6 Oral question Oral Question: Mount Lavinia Coastal Belt Project (Q.3) 6 speeches
- 7 Oral question Oral Question: Environmental Matter (Q.4) - Stand down 3 speeches
- 8 Oral question Oral Question: Kumbukkan Oya Project (Q.5) 6 speeches
- 9 Oral question Oral Question: Government Analyst's Department Vacancies and Case Backlogs (Q.6) 8 speeches
- 10 Oral question Oral Question: Foreign Graduate Appointments (Q.7) 8 speeches
- 11 Oral question Oral Question: Education Zones for Uhana and Pottuvil (Q.8) 6 speeches
- 12 Oral question Oral Question: Petroleum Storage Tanks in Cities (Q.9) 11 speeches
- 13 Oral question Oral Question: Agricultural Matter (Q.10) - Stand down 2 speeches
- 14 Oral question Question by Private Notice: Land Issues in Mannar, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya (Q. Private Notice 1) 6 speeches
- 15 Oral question Question by Private Notice: Rajya Osusala Outlet in Mannar Town (Q. Private Notice 2) 3 speeches
- 16 Procedural Procedural: Member's personal statement and Privilege matter 4 speeches
- 17 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms 16 speeches
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Bimal Rathnayake moved the adjournment motion, “That Parliament do now adjourn.” The motion was then proposed to the House.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Ruwan Wijeweera JJB
AI summary Ruwan Wijeweera welcomed the proposed comprehensive education reforms due to begin in 2026, arguing that Sri Lanka needs an equitable, future-oriented system to address outdated curricula, school resource disparities, and a mismatch between education outcomes and labour market needs. He cited youth unemployment and traditional teacher-centred instruction as key challenges, and said the reforms aim to develop 21st-century skills, sustainable national development, and peace. He outlined proposed measures including school restructuring, two years of early childhood development, integrated activity-based primary curricula, and improvements to human resources, infrastructure, and education administration, while inviting broad stakeholder support.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne (Ms.) JJB
AI summary Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne seconded the Adjournment Motion moved by Hon. Ruwan Wijeweera. No further substantive remarks or policy positions were stated.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake JJB
AI summary Requested, under Standing Orders, that Hon. (Dr.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne be afforded an opportunity to speak at a subsequent sitting.
Parliamentary Procedure Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Sajith Premadasa urged the Government to table a full concept paper, similar to a Green or White Paper process, to guide education reforms with clear targets, timelines and consultation. He argued that education should be recognized as a fundamental human right in any constitutional reform, alongside other social, economic and political rights. He called for modernizing the system by moving away from rote learning, expanding ICT, STEM to STEAM, English-medium education, and new fields such as AI, data science, quantum computing, augmented and virtual reality, and machine learning.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa questioned the clarity and implementability of the Government’s education reform presentation, saying it resembled a wish list without sufficient operational detail, timelines, or strategies for early childhood education. He noted long delays in reforms and warned that results expected only by 2029 would exclude much of the current student cohort. He welcomed the Prime Minister’s assurance that the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination would not be abolished, while calling for greater attention to rural school upgrading, STEM access, teacher training infrastructure, and the welfare and inclusion of all school-sector personnel.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Presiding Member procedural
- Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB
AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa criticised the education reform presentation for lacking detail on teacher welfare, workforce training, governance, equity, functional English, AI and emerging technologies, school nutrition, at-risk youth, and post-school pathways. He called for increased education spending, better coordination between central and provincial authorities, and a clear plan to train over 240,000 teachers for a modular credit-based system, drawing on international models. He urged that History remain compulsory alongside ICT and new technologies, and argued for universal access to English-medium education and better resources for provincial schools to reduce inequality within free education. He supported a non-partisan approach and proposed cooperation between Government and Opposition, including alternative funding mechanisms, to strengthen public schools.
Education Full speech → - The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB
AI summary Deputy Minister Madhura Senevirathna outlined the Government’s education reform framework, saying it is guided by free and equitable access, employability, social responsibility, sustainability, innovation and lifelong learning. He said reforms would be implemented through five pillars—assessment, teacher training, public awareness, curriculum, and infrastructure and administration—with Grade 6 changes commencing in 2026 and a review planned by 2028. He highlighted plans for accessible local schooling, activity-based and exam-free primary education, modular learning in Grades 6–9, new literacy and skills modules, and stronger integration of vocational education from Grade 9. He also said the Scholarship examination would be reconsidered in 2029 if equitable provision makes it unnecessary.
- The Hon. Speaker procedural
- The Hon. Anura Kumara Dissanayake - President, Minister of Defence; Minister of Finance, Planning and Economic Development; and Minister of Digital Economy
AI summary President Anura Kumara Dissanayake argued that education reform must be broad and aligned with Sri Lanka’s economic strategy of developing human capital, noting weak outcomes in migrant labour, poverty alleviation, and social problems linked to low education. He identified school dropouts, under-enrolled schools, misallocated teacher resources, excessive tuition pressure, and a narrow focus on medicine and engineering as key systemic problems. He proposed ensuring all children complete 13 years of schooling, investigating absences, reviewing small schools for closure, amalgamation, relocation or support, reallocating resources to well-equipped schools, restoring extracurricular childhood experiences, and professionalizing diverse vocational pathways through standards and certification.
- 18 Adjournment Adjournment Debate: Proposed Educational Reforms (continued) 90 speeches