Hon. Dilith Jayaweera

¶ 01 When we speak about advancing education, we have not earnestly attempted the strategic changes needed within free education. That is the truth. However, this time, regarding these extraordinary reforms—reforms none of us truly know, reforms for which we have not even seen a single detailed paper, only a PowerPoint presentation—we must think very carefully. These, as we understand them, are highly risky reforms, Hon. Presiding Member. Nowhere in these proposals is there a path to produce, through Sri Lanka’s education system, a child capable of facing the global realities of a developing world. Especially when we talk about Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and the expectations of the DO generation seeking independence and entrepreneurship, there is no design to crown those aspirations.

¶ 02 The great common aspiration of the new generation is entrepreneurship. They expect entrepreneurship within the education system. They do not want to work under someone else; read about Gen Z and Gen Alpha—their expectation is not just a job, but independence and creating their own wealth. Where do these reforms recognize the emergence of an autonomous, independent child who becomes a self-directed adult? Instead, what is proposed is to continue producing a child with a submissive, compliance-driven mindset. I say responsibly: nowhere is there space for a creative child to emerge. I say this honestly.

¶ 03 You have been handed many strings to pull. People call your government a puppet government because decisions are not made from the ground up. A government was made for you, and those who made it now send you various instructions—you are doing all of them. There is a pile of fashionable reforms imported from abroad. But Hon. Presiding Member, imported reforms do not fit us as they are. Every country shapes reforms to suit its unique culture, civilization, and historical realities. We need heavy reforms—yes, a genuine paradigm shift in education. But what is happening now? You are breaking the existing system in a way that does not fit us, destroying the indigenous nurturance necessary to produce our children and adults, distancing us from our historical realities, and trying to impose some alien framework brought from the West or elsewhere.

¶ 04 Schools are now in disarray. If we look frankly, the situation is thoroughly confused. If you are implementing a strategy, it needs a clear start and end, a set of steps, how and when those steps will be implemented. Was there any prior study? Any awareness? No. Our innocent Members were dragged here and told to clap. Just as cats play with coconut shells, now everything foreign is being dumped in. The same is happening in our education system. Internationally we proudly say, “We are a country open to all,” but inside education I cannot understand what is being said. Yet there are people who love this country. I honestly propose to our Ministers: let us come to a fair dialogue. Because what you are trying to tamper with is our future. At the very least we have managed to get here; now you are putting in place measures that will take even that away. Tell any lie anywhere as you wish—but do not do that with our children. This is a deception; a fraud; a misdirection. The whole reform, the approach itself, is wrong.

¶ 05 Hon. Presiding Member, you and I know the reality. Beyond a misaligned system, there are specific deficiencies in the real education system in operation today; we both can see them at a glance. I do not have time to list them, but my point is: fix those deficiencies. I do not know the view of our Hon. Minister of Education—she is not in the Chamber now. Unfortunately, she is not a product of our free education system, and may lack personal experience of our university system. But it is plainly visible how much needs to be done to pull our universities out of the pit they are in. Coming here and shouting emotionally will not help. Let us talk about the real problem: where is it, and how do we solve it—with honesty and with local thinking?

¶ 06 What our Minister said the other day in English was true—we have not created the necessary background to learn English within our education system. But while saying so, did he explain how to do it? Under this system, how will future children receive English education? Is that strategic change under discussion? Is it included in this modular approach? Will it happen by giving principals an extra 50 rupees a day? Does stopping the distribution of smart boards fix it? We sincerely ask you not to look at education from the surface with such token measures.

¶ 07 Finally, I make one request from the Government. Pause this education reform package for a moment. Engage in a genuine consultation. Gather views transparently from different stakeholders, and then finalize and socialize the proposals. After a public dialogue, allow us to contribute as well, take on board our ideas, and move forward with the changes this country truly needs.

¶ 08 Thank you very much.