The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Chairman, thank you for the time.

¶ 02 When ensuring quality education in a country, decisions must be taken on the basis of policy. Secondly, there must be strong institutional structures to implement those policies. And adequate funding must be provided. Across our history, the failure of these three — policy, institutions, and funding — has led to today’s many challenges in education.

¶ 03 Yet, in spite of all this, thanks to the service of our teachers, principals and officials in higher education institutions, we have been able to keep the system going, teach students, create higher education opportunities, and maintain quality at an international level.

¶ 04 In 2025, our main effort has been to take decisions aligned to policy, to ensure consistency and coherence among policies, and to strengthen institutional structures for implementation, while using the funds allocated in line with these policies and preparing for reforms to be operationalized in 2026-2027.

¶ 05 It is not enough to make policy; we need robust planning, clear targets for officials, and proper distribution of responsibilities. Since 1994, many proposals to reform school curricula have been similar; what failed was the planning, institutional framework and funding.

¶ 06 In 2025, we began addressing these gaps and building a policy-aligned, target-driven planning and institutional system. I appreciate all officials who contributed.

¶ 07 Our Ministry’s decisions are guided by four thrust areas: - Equity: intervening to reduce disparities in education - Quality: improving learning outcomes - Governance: strengthening education management - Evidence: policy-making grounded in data and science

¶ 08 We have begun acting coherently towards these, with strong institutional arrangements and evidence-based policy.

¶ 09 Let me cite an example of institutional weakness raised earlier from both sides: issues at the Gampaha Wickramarachchi University of Indigenous Medicine. I table the Committee Report we commissioned, which shows how decision-making processes had broken down, with decisions taken on narrow personal and political grounds, undermining quality and harming students’ rights.

¶ 10 We believe that in 2025 we have begun to reverse this, moving towards policy-based, collaborative, target-driven, planned action.

¶ 11 On funding: It is true that the largest-ever allocation for education has been made in Budget 2026 — Rs. 704,308 million, which is 2.04 percent of GDP. We have never said we would give 6 percent in our first year. Those who campaigned for 6 percent since 2012 are here. We understand that only through building policy and institutions can we get there. Simply pouring money will not solve problems. This year’s allocation is higher than last year’s; that is the trend. With stronger institutions and faster implementation, allocations will continue to increase.

¶ 12 Regarding 2025 expenditure: we report from May 1 to October 15 (the Budget was passed end-March). We have paid all bills. Our completed financial progress is 18 percent; including committed projects to be completed by December, overall progress in education is 69 percent — unprecedented. This was achieved by setting targets for all officials and close monitoring. We are confident of greater progress in 2026-2027. I will reserve time for my concluding reply as many Members wish to speak.

¶ 13 We recognize the challenges. Service delivery efficiency must improve. Parents and students should feel that issues are resolved quickly; even if a full solution is not immediately possible, there must be prompt responses. Responsiveness must increase throughout the system. We must continue to reduce disparities. We have initiated measures for children with disabilities, but more is needed. When curriculum reforms begin in 2026, operational issues will arise and we will address them. We must proceed with clarity of policy, plans and targets. We are committed to sustained, year-on-year progress so that the quality of education is secured for all.

¶ 14 Thank you, Hon. Chairman.