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

¶ 01 Mr. Speaker, under Standing Order 27(2), questions should be directed to a specific Ministry. The Hon. Leader of the Opposition has posed questions spanning two Ministries. Nevertheless, I will answer the first three; the Minister of Buddhasasana will answer the remaining three.

¶ 02 (i) A Special Committee of seven members, including Venerable scholar monks nominated by the Venerable Mahanayaka Theros of the Three Nikayas, has been appointed to prepare, in line with the new education reform programme and without contravening the provisions and regulations of the principal Act, a draft of necessary amendments to the Piriven Education Act.

¶ 03 We have discussed extensively with the Mahanayaka Theros and, in line with guidance from the Piriven Council, appointed this Committee. We recognize Piriven education as a distinctive national institution with a unique mandate; our aim is to strengthen it while addressing current needs.

¶ 04 (ii) The current Piriven Education Act is 45 years old and needs updating to align with modern education systems and contemporary needs. For example, since Piriven teachers are granted all benefits including salary scales and grade promotions equivalent to Government school teachers, the educational qualifications and related criteria for recruitment require revision. Additionally, matters such as the composition of the Piriven Education Board and curriculum reforms have been identified for amendment.

¶ 05 2. (i) No. (ii) No. (iii) Not applicable.

¶ 06 3. (i) The Special Committee has been tasked with preparing a research report on curriculum reform for the Piriven system. The Committee has commenced research, working jointly with the National Institute of Education (NIE) and the National Education Commission (NEC). After formulating a National Piriven Education Policy and the requisite legal framework, the proposed curriculum reform draft will be presented to the Piriven Education Board and to the Venerable Mahanayaka Theros.

¶ 07 (ii) Reforms are planned for the syllabi of Mulika (Primary) Piriven, Maha Piriven, and Vidyayathana Piriven currently in operation.

¶ 08 (iii) Timeline: - Research report: by 2026.01.31 - Curriculum framework: in 2026 - Pilot implementation: 2027 - Full implementation: 2028