Hon. (Mrs.) Samanmali Gunasingha

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I wish to support and clarify the importance of this motion regarding Meelad Muslim Vidyalaya. As stated, there are a few Tamil-medium schools in the Dehiwala area—Dehiwala Tamil Maha Vidyalaya, Nugegoda Tamil Vidyalaya—and Meelad Muslim School began as Tamil-medium and is now bilingual. I have studied this issue and intervened, discussing with the Hon. Prime Minister, who is also the Minister of Education.

¶ 02 Space is indeed inadequate due to very high demand; it is a well-performing school. Accordingly, the closed Sumantha Vidyalaya building was identified for temporary use in 2024. Though then Minister Susil Premajayantha authorized action in July 2024, effective steps lagged, and only early this year was the closed building approved for Meelad.

¶ 03 Parents and community began renovations, but when admitting Grade 1 students, a group—regrettably on ethnic lines—objected, and the children were left without classrooms. The government’s policy is to move toward tri-lingual schools. While Sinhala- or Tamil-medium schools may continue, new schools should be tri-lingual, and children should have the choice.

¶ 04 Today, Grade 1 pupils are studying on mats on the floor. In Dehiwala–Ratmalana–Moratuwa there are many schools; some have 20 buildings but very few students. Children should not study on the ground while such facilities lie idle. Several proposals were made: temporarily accommodating students in nearby schools; upgrading S. D. S. Jayasinghe Vidyalaya as a tri-lingual national school in 2025 to provide a long-term solution. We have now decided, at the Dehiwala Coordinating Committee, to temporarily use three new floors at Nikape Vidyalaya to accommodate these children while renovations proceed. We will not allow anyone to stoke communalism. Education is a right irrespective of ethnicity or religion. We stand for these children’s rights and will resolve this within days.