Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, indeed, the presentation says little on teacher welfare. To implement these reforms we need a plan centred on the entire education workforce: non-academic staff, teachers, principals, teacher advisors, educationists, and education administrators.

¶ 02 We should reflect on instructional time and whether short lessons truly deliver deeper learning for the Alpha and Beta generations in terms of thinking patterns and behaviours. Localization has severely limited the breadth of curriculum offerings. Post-school education pathways are left out. Functional English proficiency is ignored in the presentation. Attention to AI and emerging technologies is inadequate. There is no targeted programme for at-risk youth. School nutrition programmes are not mentioned. Coverage across learning domains aligned to national assessments appears restricted. There is no clear implementation and governance framework. Nor is there a plan to reduce inequity in access and quality. Importantly, there is no clear programme to train over 240,000 teachers for a modular and credit-based system.

¶ 03 Education spending remains meagre and must be increased. The long-standing disconnect between the central government and provincial councils in delivering education is not addressed. Please take our constructive criticisms on board. We can also learn from abroad: Finland’s holistic and equitable system; Estonia’s digital and equity-focused advances; Germany’s post-PISA reforms for equity and standards; as well as strong education systems in the Netherlands, Finland, the Scandinavian countries, Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia.

¶ 04 I also want to speak about the History subject.

¶ 05 We firmly believe that ICT and new technologies must be compulsory, and likewise History should remain a core subject. It is vital for the quality of the education system. History is not rote learning; it builds a citizen’s foundation. It helps students understand their roots, shared heritage, and cultural values. By studying events and their causes and effects, students develop critical thinking, analytical skills, and informed decision-making. Therefore, keeping History compulsory is a duty we owe our children.

¶ 06 Through smart education, we can direct these major reforms toward national development and human capital development. Remember, the children our system produces are our future citizens. They must be equipped to access and compete in the global labour market.

¶ 07 Today, our education is divided—reflecting social divisions between haves and have-nots. Children in elite and popular schools receive high-level education and facilities, while many provincial schools lack basic resources—computer and language labs, equipment and physical resources, as well as human resources like teachers and BOS. There is stratification within free public education and between private and state systems. It is time for transformative decisions. We must prioritise English-medium education access, universally. Some may see this as politically sensitive; for years, some said “Sinhala only.” We say providing English-medium education access to every child is our duty and their human right. These reforms must restore that right.

¶ 08 The Hon. Prime Minister said the reforms should not be politicized. We agree. Our proposals are in good faith. We also accept that public funds alone cannot build the school system. Let us, across Government and Opposition, join hands, adopt alternative mechanisms, and strengthen free education in our over 10,000 public schools.

¶ 09 Thank you for the time, Hon. Speaker.