The Hon. Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I am pleased to participate in the Committee Stage debate on the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education. At the outset, I thank the Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, on behalf of our people, for her dedication to advancing education and leading reforms as a respected educationist. Under her experienced leadership, I believe the Ministry will stride forward.

¶ 02 As Thirukkural says: “Learn thoroughly what is worth learning; then live by what you have learned.” The goal of the National Education Policy is to produce healthy, honest, productive, humane citizens with education, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, creativity, respect and faith in the nation, and tolerance. In the past, we did not truly achieve these goals; there is a stark difference in values between past and present student communities.

¶ 03 As a teacher and principal for over 17 years, I have seen the change. The mindset in 2009 is very different from 2025. For example, in Colombo District alone, more than 200,000 students have fallen into drug use. Is that the education we are giving? Through reform, we must produce good citizens who contribute to economic development. Despite economic constraints, the Government has significantly increased funding for education—this is essential.

¶ 04 From my own schooling to now, I too have spent much for education. We are striving to ensure students receive quality education and become disciplined citizens. Recently, a student, Dushyanthan Sathveegan of Hartley College, Point Pedro, was bitten by a snake on his way to the GCE A/L Chemistry exam. Officials acted promptly, gave first aid, returned him to the exam hall, and he wrote the exam with determination. During the war, we studied under street and kerosene lamps—our families and society made great sacrifices. We are ready to continue investing, especially to build future skills. Under “Accelerating investments for a skilled tomorrow,” allocations increased from 2,282 million rupees in 2024 to 4,691 million in 2025, and are expected to reach 9,360 million by 2028.

¶ 05 Let me highlight admissions to Grade 1: in 2019 there were 343,912 admissions. By 2030, projections indicate only 196,209—about a 43% decline due to demographic changes. Therefore, the Government must plan robustly for the future of education. We are taking the right decisions.

¶ 06 Recent studies show literacy and language learning disparities. Compared to peers, reading proficiency deficits are higher in the North, East, and estate sectors: for age-appropriate reading, deficits are approximately 16% in the North, 25% in the East, 11% in Central, and 5% in the South; the national average reading proficiency is around 52%. Speaking and other language skills are also weak. We must reflect whether this stems from curriculum implementation issues.

¶ 07 We expect improvements in curriculum implementation and Ministry actions to raise education outcomes. The North and East, having faced war and severe economic difficulties, need support—transport and other facilities—to ensure equal education access. We are building a country for all, and I conclude with pride.