The Hon. Sunil Rajapaksha

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to speak on the Supplementary Estimate to grant Rs. 6,000 to children of poor families for school supplies.

¶ 02 We firmly believe that human capital is the most decisive resource to rebuild our country. Countries rise through their own people, and education is the primary means. Yet, decades after independence, we are still focused on getting children into school and keeping them there, while the world discusses how to craft 21st-century-relevant education.

¶ 03 Illustrations: According to the Education Ministry, new entrants to Grade 1 declined from 323,337 in 2015 to 287,639 in 2023—a drop of 35,698. Is this due to lower births, reduced access, or loss of trust in public schools? A portion is clearly due to poverty.

¶ 04 Further, in 2023, 50,345 students dropped out across provinces: Western 10,404; Central 5,829; Southern 4,627; Northern 3,512; Eastern 9,273; North Western 5,975; North Central 4,051; Uva 3,064; Sabaragamuwa 3,610. These were already in the system. The Rs. 6,000 will help retention, especially for those leaving in Grades 9–10: boys 3.15% (Grade 9) and 4.10% (Grade 10); girls 1.86% and 2.85% respectively—often to support household economies.

¶ 05 Nutrition is another parallel issue. Health data: in 2016, obesity 7.78%, thinness 20.45; 2017, 7.3% and 17.4; 2018, 4.8% and 18.68; 2019, 5.18% and 18.18; 2020, 5.6% and 17.38. Thinness rose to 21% by 2023. We must continue and expand school meal programmes for those without access.

¶ 06 Exam outcomes reflect participation quality: at O/L, with a 75% pass rate, still one in four fails; at A/L, about 35% of those who qualified from O/L fail. Beyond personal factors, resource gaps—books, classrooms—contribute.

¶ 07 To move toward quality education, we must shift from rote-heavy assessments and modernize curricula. Education is the outcome of many actors—students, teachers, counsellors, principals, and administrators—so we must address their pay and service conditions as well.

¶ 08 Let me end with Plato’s view: education should produce rulers—philosopher rulers. For decades our rulers were not so; hence our education is where it is. I conclude.