The Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney-at-Law

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, at the Adjournment, I direct this question to the Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education. I believe the Hon. Minister is present in the House.

¶ 02 1. What is the current number of unemployed graduates in Sri Lanka? 2. Under the present Government, has a number of graduates been provided employment? 3. If so, what are the numbers by sector? 4. How many Development Officers are functioning as teachers? 5. Of the Development Officers, how many have been absorbed into the permanent teacher service by the present Government? 6. Are steps being taken to recruit Development Officers who are working as teachers but not appointed to the teacher service, into the teacher service? 7. On what date will recruitment take place?

¶ 03 On page 72 of the NPP’s policy statement, it is stated “to provide employment rapidly under a structured mechanism for unemployed graduates.” When will this policy be implemented?

¶ 04 I add a few points. The NPP clearly stated they would provide 35,000 jobs swiftly, categorized by sectors. However, even after over a year in office, the President told Parliament to sit the exams, and thereafter many were left disappointed. Today there are about 16,000 Development Officers working in schools. They engaged in continuous agitation, including hunger strikes. On a Tuesday, the President met them and said they could sit an exam and be absorbed according to procedure, assuring they would not be removed from schools. However, on 2026.02.02, the Government issued a Gazette, not based on those discussions, calling an exam for teacher recruitment, requiring qualifications as at 2025.06.30, yet issued as a Special Gazette on 2026.02.02. The Gazette was on the 2nd, the discussion on the 3rd — who misled whom?

¶ 05 Secondly, now that discussions are over, please allow applications based on the Gazette date. Many graduates obtained degrees after 2025.06.30 and have convocations completed; they are unfairly excluded. Please reconsider and resolve this. Prior Gazettes’ gaps remain — Sociology is excluded; Archaeology and History not included; many such omissions persist, which is a grave injustice. Students suffered when schools were closed for one and a half to two years due to Covid; in 2022 they faced hardships. Please grant relief so all become eligible. If the date 2025.06.30 is revised to 2026.02.02, then everyone can apply and proceed accordingly.

¶ 06 Another point: some have passed the Education Service Exam. When I served as Chief Minister, those who qualified were appointed to Provincial Schools. To date, the Ministry of Education has not issued the necessary letters to Provinces; about 500 are awaiting. They even protested at your Ministry. Please issue the letters, as there are vacancies due to retirements.

¶ 07 Hon. Deputy Minister, around 50,000 graduates remain outside, not taken as Development Officers nor into other posts. Even if they apply, only small numbers will be recruited, leaving over 25,000 still excluded. Though the Prime Minister’s Committee approved recruitments, many are technical posts; Arts and other graduates are left out.

¶ 08 I request the Government to intervene appropriately. This is not for political gain. It was you who brought them to the streets. Many Ministers and MPs accompanied them in districts. We are not seeking political mileage. If nothing is done now, as the Opposition, we will be compelled to support these people on the streets to resolve their issues. I table the relevant CD.