The Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, since the Hon. President is in the House, I will present my educational records in full clarity, following a reference made yesterday by Hon. Nalinda Jayathissa.

¶ 02 I began kindergarten at St. Bridget’s Convent; Grades 1-5 at S. Thomas’ Preparatory School; Grades 6-9 at Royal College. I did not sit Sri Lanka’s GCE (O/L). I will submit my Pupil’s Record Sheet and Royal College Student Record Book.

¶ 03 I then studied at Mill Hill School in the UK, sitting O/Ls under Oxford and Cambridge Schools Examination Board and Associated Examining Board in 1983/1984, obtaining 2 As, 2 Bs, and 3 Cs. I will table the certificates. Claims that I had “W” grades are false; that notation did not exist in my sitting. I will also table my Mill Hill School Yearbooks showing I was House Captain (1984), Head Prefect (1985), and in the 1st XI cricket team from 1983 to 1986—Secretary in 1985 and Captain in 1986—with documentary evidence.

¶ 04 For A/Levels in 1986 (Upper Sixth), I received school prizes in Politics and Business Studies. My A/L results were 2 Bs (Business Studies and Politics & Government) and 1 C (Economics), under the same UK exam boards. I will table the transcript.

¶ 05 Based on these results, I pursued a degree at the London School of Economics and Political Science (University of London affiliate), graduating in 1991. I table the Director’s letter of congratulations and my degree certificate.

¶ 06 Thereafter, I was admitted to the University of Maryland, College Park, for a Master of Public Management, 1991-1992. I completed eight courses—six with ‘A’ and two with ‘B’ grades—and table the transcripts. I returned to Sri Lanka after my father’s demise in May 1993 to enter politics. In 1994 the late Gamini Dissanayake appointed me District Organizer for Hambantota. During my Master’s studies, I also volunteered in the U.S. Senate with Senator Larry Pressler; I possess his letter confirming this.

¶ 07 In 2021-2022, I enrolled in the Open University of Sri Lanka for an MSc in Environmental Science. I could have transferred 22 credits from my U.S. Master’s, with a GPA of 3.727/4.0, but chose to start afresh. I completed two units, earning A- in Environmental Economics and Management, and A+ in Environmental Policy Planning and Assessment. I will table the documents. From 2022 onwards, political developments made continuing difficult. Nonetheless, I present all records transparently. If any statement I made is false, I am prepared to resign from Parliament, from the Opposition Leadership, and from politics. I invite verification from the relevant Examination Boards and institutions.

¶ 08 Thank you.