The Hon. Nalin Hewage - Deputy Minister of Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today we discuss a crucial task—shaping our nation’s future and human development. Both Government and Opposition have contributed constructively. We accept this is not a perfect plan; debate and counter-argument will refine it toward a better synthesis.

¶ 02 Historically, reforms fail in two ways: by attacking the message’s content, or the messenger. We should avoid both. The content is largely sound; and the Prime Minister, Hon. Harini Amarasuriya, is a seasoned academic and policymaker with a family legacy in education.

¶ 03 A country’s development rests on the quantity and quality of its physical and human resources. Sri Lanka lacks vast physical resources; thus, we must unlock the limitless potential of our human capital. As Khalil Gibran said, a country’s prosperity lies not in its gold and silver, but in developing the intellect of its children.

¶ 04 We need an integrated human being—scientist, engineer, technologist, writer, environmentalist—cultivated through an integrated education. A person steeped in the humanities and arts alongside science will not misuse knowledge destructively.

¶ 05 Our current system’s outcomes are visible: in agriculture and industry, are we leveraging advanced technologies through educated practitioners, or relying on those pushed out of schools? In exports and remittances, are we exporting high-value products and skilled services, or garments and unskilled labour? This must change.

¶ 06 About 300,000 enter Grade 1 annually, but only around 40,000 reach university. Approximately 260,000 do not. Therefore, we are bringing vocational education into schools, dignifying trades, and enabling good earnings through skills.

¶ 07 However, our vocational centres must be modern and attractive. We cannot run them in makeshift spaces; we must align them with youth aspirations and new technologies. Building skilled labour can raise remittances from USD 7 billion to 10-14 billion.

¶ 08 The Ocean University is under our Ministry. The seas hold immense resources; we must identify them, apply them to national development, and build the necessary human capital. The Ocean University should be elevated and empowered accordingly.

¶ 09 We believe today’s debate has granted strong parliamentary support. We invite all to contribute to this great transformation. Thank you.