The Hon. M. Nizam Kariapper, PC

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am privileged to speak while the Hon. Prime Minister is here. Let me congratulate you on your excellent performance at the World Economic Forum; that does not preclude criticism.

¶ 02 Madam, something is missing in this Bill. As the previous Minister said, Deans are to be elected. Under the prior tradition, they served a term; now the Council has the right to remove. I refer you to the “University Governance Autonomy and Accountability: Direction for Change – Workshop Report” of 2015, in which, I am sure, Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya participated. It contains guidance on UGC, Vice Chancellors, Councils of Academics and Administration.

¶ 03 In 2015, you were part of excellent regulations to strengthen university autonomy. Your Government has not yet operationalized those recommendations. Secondly, there is a drafting issue: the Bill uses the words “unless removed from office by the Council” regarding Deans. There has never been a clear statutory procedure for removal; many cases on arbitrary removal have arisen. Here, the appointment is not by the Council but by the Board; at least specify that removal by the Council should be on the Board’s recommendation, and lay down due process.

¶ 04 On education reforms more broadly: from Grade 5 scholarship onwards, tuition starts even at kindergarten. The scholarship exam measures reasoning and problem-solving, not rote knowledge—yet we push rote. We must address the root causes. The key is aligning education to the job market and highest roles, while recognizing gatekeeper exams (Grade 5 for school entry; A/L for university). Even with modular systems, the pressure persists; students chase one more mark, take tuition, or manipulate assignments. The problem is systemic: even if we spend 10 per cent of GDP, unless we change to build pathways that respect children’s innate abilities and provide dignity across occupations—medicine, engineering, law, accounting, teaching, or sanitation work—we will fail. Society must value all essential jobs. We must change the economic model and labour-market perceptions so children can pursue careers aligned with their talents and still have social esteem.

¶ 05 Thank you.