The Hon. Ruwan Mapalagama

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you. As I express my views in this debate on amending the Universities Act, No. 16 of 1978, allow me to recall a point raised by the Hon. Rasamanickam who spoke before me. He stated clearly that in the subject of History in our school system, especially post-1948 modern history, much has been omitted. This is not on Sinhala or Tamil lines but generally: since 1948, many events of modern history have been excluded from the school curriculum. I invite elders and teachers to look into this. As of now, the Grade 11 History textbook’s lesson “Sri Lanka after Independence” only goes up to 1977. Thereafter, recent history is not included. It mentions S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike and his assassination, but only that he died—without explaining how or by whom. It does not cover how the LTTE was formed after 1970/1977, who provided ideological underpinnings, which political forces built the enabling climate, who was responsible for Black July 1983, or who burned the Jaffna Library. None of this is yet included in school education. We hope that one day this modern history will be taught in our schools.

¶ 02 Hon. Presiding Member, the globally renowned leader Nelson Mandela said that education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world. Today we are not merely amending a few provisions in an Act; we are dealing with the future of the university system that shapes the thinking and destiny of our next generation. This Act, in force since 1978—though amended at times—needs to be updated for the future.

¶ 03 As the National People’s Power, our education policy is clear. In our policy declaration “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life”, we have long engaged the public intellectually. Expenditure on education is an investment in a country’s future; developed countries allocate significant portions of GDP to education for this reason. We need, not queues of graduates waiting for jobs, but a university education system that produces capable minds suited to the new world, new technology and new knowledge—people who can engage with the future. As our Chief Government Whip, Hon. Bimal Rathnayake, said in this House, Sri Lanka’s nuclear weapon is free education—our most valuable asset and strongest instrument.

¶ 04 Since morning we have discussed the Universities (Amendment) Bill. We have not heard fair or reasonable critiques from the Opposition on the provisions themselves. This Bill advances several key proposals: broadening eligibility criteria for appointment as Dean, expanding candidate pools for senior academic-administrative posts, introducing a performance- and skills-based leadership framework for higher education governance and modernization, and clarifying ambiguous statutory language.

¶ 05 Taken together, these reflect our ideology: as a Government, we believe education is not a commodity, not a commercial venture, but the prime instrument necessary for social transformation in Sri Lanka. Hence this Amendment Bill.

¶ 06 Looking at the Opposition’s speeches, they seize upon a tiny sliver of the broader reform agenda to drag the process backward. This year, students of Grade 6 and their parents will curse this Opposition for trying to pull an entire generation’s education and future back. We even hear echoes in this House about the old “White Paper” which was decisively defeated on the streets by university and school students—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands. That era is over. We are not bringing back a 90s White Paper; we are bringing an education blueprint fit for the future. We remember how comrades like Sathangapala Channigama of Ruhuna University sacrificed their lives for change in education. If anyone tries to return these reforms to the White Paper era, the NPP Government and the progressive people of this country will not allow it.

¶ 07 Finally, with this disorganized, conniving Opposition, it is pointless to talk about education reform. Hon. Presiding Member, I propose we first educate the Opposition—and then proceed.

¶ 08 Thank you.