The Hon. (Dr.) Harsha de Silva

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, the Deputy Minister who spoke previously said corrupt thieves did nothing for 76 years. However, many in our party and our mother party previously undertook reforms. Let me recall that before I begin.

¶ 02 The President requested: do not mess this up; give support; do not politicize. Why? To create a modern child with a vibrant life capable of facing future challenges. We do not oppose that; we support it. But the Government must genuinely implement what it says, not limit it to speeches in this Chamber.

¶ 03 The presentation was titled “Transform Education: Transform Sri Lanka” — the same title used by Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam in 2019 and by Dr. Sunil Navaratne’s team in 2020. So we see good prior work being taken forward, and we welcome that. The Prime Minister has presented a sequenced plan. The President said our task in Parliament is to decide on the educational framework; we must build the framework and then fill it with content.

¶ 04 Hon. Prime Minister, the presentation spoke of five pillars: curriculum development; human resource development; development of infrastructure; teacher retraining; and assessment and evaluation — including a modular system, seven O/L subject clusters with five to be taken, continuous assessment and a GPA system, and public awareness. These are positive steps.

¶ 05 My view: as a country, we need broad consultation on all five pillars. Hon. Rohini K. Wijerathna noted there is no pilot; if we proceed without piloting, let us all get on the same page to avoid collapse, as in past attempts. From C. W. W. Kannangara onward, many reforms faced headwinds; do not repeat history. President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Minister Tara de Mel also made solid changes; acknowledge them.

¶ 06 Let me reference the 1981 White Paper introduced by Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. From Eric J. de Silva’s “Politics of Education Reform and Other Essays,” we see the core thrust today is similar to that proposed 44 years ago. For example, the GCE O/L subject structure: First Language, Religion, Mathematics, English, Science, Social Studies, Aesthetics, Technical Subjects, Health and Physical Education — with different levels of assessment (national, district, cluster). Today’s proposal — Sinhala/Tamil, English, Mathematics, Science, Religion (own + comparative), etc. — aligns closely. Likewise, 12–13 years and gateways to university and TVET were envisaged. Bandula Gunawardena introduced the Technical Subject Stream. So this is not brand new; it advances long-standing ideas.

¶ 07 What went wrong in 1981? I will not politicize, but let us recall how fearmongering derailed it. The President asks us not to repeat that; we agree.

¶ 08 A vital passage from that White Paper cautions: many reforms fail due to hasty implementation without preparation, causing irreparable damage; therefore, after public debate and legislative discussion, safeguards must ensure students do not suffer from poor planning. Therefore, Hon. Prime Minister, get everyone on the same page; do not politicize; let us reform without risking the nation’s future.

¶ 09 One more point: the world is changing. AI is taking over current jobs and creating new ones. Even teachers may be partly replaced by technology. What skills will a child starting Grade 1 in 2026 need to do a job at age 22 in 2048? I asked AI what skills would be required…