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

Sitting of Tuesday, 5 May 2026

10th Parliament· 18 debates· 352 speeches· 107 speakers

Source: Hansard PDF (parliament.lk) ↗ ·No. 23546 ·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.

  11. 11 Oral question Oral Questions Q.7-Q.9: Education Statistics, Aquaculture, CEB and SriLankan Airlines 13 speeches
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary In response to a question on education examination participation, figures were provided for GCE O/L candidates from 2022 to 2024, ranging from 317,326 to 322,704 students. It was stated that 221,413 students from the 2022 O/L cohort sat the GCE A/L in 2025, while the 2023 and 2024 cohorts had not yet reached the corresponding A/L examinations. The response also gave comparative percentages of students admitted to Grade 1 who later sat the examinations, including 65.29% for the 2025 A/L cohort and O/L rates of 93.57% in 2022, 92.08% in 2023, and 95.15% in 2024.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF

      AI summary Chamara Sampath Dasanayake asked the Prime Minister about the implementation of the new education reforms, noting that Grade 1 began in 2026 and Grade 2 is expected in 2027 amid earlier controversy over modules. He sought confirmation that the reforms will proceed in 2027 and asked whether teacher training, funding to Provincial Education Offices, and textbook printing have been completed to avoid a recurrence of previous problems.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary Reforms for Grades 2 and 6 are being prepared for implementation in 2027, while the Grade 1 reforms introduced in 2026 are reported to be progressing well. Module activity books are being printed, Grade 6 content has been finalized by subject committees, and printing is scheduled to begin this month. Teacher training for Grade 6 is planned to start in June, with funding already allocated.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake NDF

      AI summary Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake urged early public awareness and preparation for the forthcoming Grade 6 education reforms to avoid problems experienced previously, including controversy over the removal of History. He asked whether the reported USD 300 million World Bank funding for reforms had been received, and called for teacher training, textbook printing, and module preparation to be completed by December for implementation in January.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya JJB

      AI summary (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya stated that education reforms are proceeding under a National Operations Committee that includes union representatives, with no internal process issues anticipated. She said Grade 6 implementation is planned for January, awareness programmes for teachers, parents, and students will be held by July–August, and World Bank assistance has been received to support the reforms.

      Education Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ajith Gihan JJB

      AI summary Ajith Gihan questioned the Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources on the role and performance of the National Aquaculture Development Authority in supporting freshwater fisheries, shrimp, and ornamental fish sectors. He sought details on past facilities provided, the number and capacity of fish and shrimp breeding centres, the availability of fry for aquaculture, any recent financial irregularities within the Authority, and whether a programme exists to develop the aquaculture sector.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB

      AI summary The Minister responded to questions on aquaculture capacity, stating that Sri Lanka has 17 relevant hatcheries across freshwater shrimp, ornamental fish, brackishwater shrimp, and freshwater fish, but freshwater fingerling supply remains far below the estimated annual requirement of 480 million. He outlined plans to upgrade association and private hatcheries, establish broodstock centres, build ponds near reservoirs, and expand support for ornamental fish and shrimp production through training, loans, monitoring, and disease-control measures. He also disclosed a Rs. 1.63 million fraud at the Dambulla Aquaculture Development Centre during 2017–2019, noting that disciplinary action was taken, a small sum recovered, and legal action is ongoing to recover the balance.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ajith Gihan JJB

      AI summary Hon. Ajith Gihan asked the Minister whether NAQDA has a programme to substantially expand inland freshwater fish production to meet national protein needs while also supporting export sectors such as ornamental fish and shrimp. He cited an annual fish consumption requirement of about 600,000 metric tons, with marine capture contributing around 300,000 metric tons and inland production only about 32,000 metric tons, arguing that inland output must increase significantly.

      Public FinanceAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB

      AI summary The Minister stated that Cyclone “Michaung” caused major losses to the shrimp industry and that a recovery programme has been developed with stakeholders in Puttalam, with new shrimp farming areas identified including in Jaffna. He said about 1,300 reservoirs have been identified as suitable for reservoir-based fisheries and that plans are underway to expand production through them. He also noted that aquaculture export earnings have increased from about USD 285 million to about USD 300 million, with plans for further growth.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ajith Gihan JJB

      AI summary Hon. Ajith Gihan asked whether there is a concrete plan to expand aquaculture production by increasing hatchery output, upgrading suitable tanks and reservoirs, and addressing staffing shortages. He noted that although Sri Lanka has around 33,000 tanks, only about 1,300 are suitable for fisheries and only about 120 have active business plans and fingerling stocking, while around 5,000 seasonal tanks lack a proper programme. He also stated that NAQDA hatcheries are insufficient to meet fry demand and that production was further affected by Cyclone Michaung.

      Agriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Ramalingam Chandrasekar - Minister of Fisheries, Aquatic and Ocean Resources JJB

      AI summary The Minister said the Ministry and NAQDA face significant cadre vacancies and that an approved programme is being implemented to fill them. He stated that new hatcheries are being established and a major sea cucumber programme is planned, with the aim of involving more than 1,000 additional people by the end of the year. He added that the Ministry would consider the issues raised and keep Parliament informed.

      Public FinanceEmploymentAgriculture Full speech →
    • The Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa JJB

      AI summary On behalf of the Minister of Energy, Nalinda Jayatissa provided annual Ceylon Electricity Board profit and loss figures from 2015 to 2025, showing major losses in most years, profits in 2023 and 2024, and a loss again in 2025. He stated that the main reason for accumulated losses was the absence of tariff revisions from 2014 to 2022 despite changes in fuel prices and exchange rates, and said a detailed report had been tabled in the Library. He added that the CEB is not currently making a profit, but any future profit would be passed to consumers through tariff revisions; questions on payments to unspecified “companies” could not be answered.

      Cost of LivingInfrastructurePublic Finance Full speech →
    • The Hon. Nalinda Jayatissa JJB

      AI summary SriLankan Airlines recorded a cumulative group loss of Rs. 323.5 billion from 2019/20 to 2024/25, including exchange losses of Rs. 214.6 billion and finance costs of Rs. 193.5 billion, despite reporting operating profits in most years and a total operating profit of Rs. 95 billion before exchange effects. For 2024/25, aircraft and spare engine lease rentals amounted to Rs. 40.4 billion, with lease or loan instalments being paid on 22 aircraft. As at 31 March 2025, total loans payable stood at Rs. 188.3 billion, including state bank loans, sovereign bonds, an overdraft, and deferred lessor payments, while 2024/25 principal repayments were Rs. 5.9 billion and interest payments Rs. 26.6 billion.

      Public FinanceInfrastructure Full speech →