The Hon. (Dr.) Namal Sudarshana - Deputy Minister of Women and Child Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, I thank you for this opportunity. As I deliver my maiden speech in the 10th Parliament, I first extend special thanks to the people of the Kurunegala District. For the first time in history under proportional representation, twelve MPs were elected from Kurunegala through the National People’s Power alliance that the people joined across communities and provinces—North, South, East, West, Central—uniting under one broad canopy to hand over power to build a prosperous country with beautiful lives. We bow in gratitude to all.

¶ 02 We know the magnitude of the people’s expectations equals the magnitude of victory. None of us is intoxicated by triumph; we feel the weight of responsibility.

¶ 03 The NPP began government work with a special commitment to education. In our policy statement “A Prosperous Country, A Beautiful Life,” Chapter One is dedicated to education: to create a cultured citizen and a developed human resource, ensuring equal access to education for every child.

¶ 04 There is severe inequality in school education. In 2022, among 10,126 schools, 1,472 had fewer than 50 students (14.5%); 5,024 had fewer than 200 students (about 51%); only about 2,906 were at A-Level status. Education is a right, not a privilege. Free education was won through struggle—debated since the 1930s, championed by C. W. W. Kannangara in the State Council, established in 1947 after great effort with support from progressive forces, monks like Yakkaduwe Sri Pragharama and Walpola Rahula, and student and left movements. It was not a benefaction from rulers; it was achieved through struggle. Today, free education is sliding; we must protect and advance it.

¶ 05 A neglected segment lies within free education: early childhood development (ECD), under my Ministry. For years the Women and Child Affairs Ministry lacked a Cabinet Minister and ECD work was sidelined. We must make quality ECD for ages 3–5 a primary state responsibility; inculcate respect for multicultural diversity and multilingual ability; integrate health and nutrition with ECD; and address issues of ECCD centers, their teachers, their qualifications and professional training. We plan national-level training institutions with branch networks to train ECD professionals. For children up to 18 (about 30% of the population), targeted interventions are needed for child protection, educational difficulties, and malnutrition.

¶ 06 Several outdated legal instruments affecting children and youth need review and reform or repeal—for example, the Children and Young Persons Ordinance, No. 48 of 1939, and the Adoption of Children Ordinance, No. 24 of 1941. We must also improve coordination between the National Child Protection Authority and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services. We propose direct supervision of at-risk children through Divisional Secretariats. We will organize comprehensive programmes for children’s education, protection, nutrition, and welfare.

¶ 07 Women constitute about 52% of the population and have long been marginalized socially, economically, culturally, and politically. Through our Ministry we will organize special interventions on their behalf.

¶ 08 On learning, Lenin said: learn first, learn second, learn third. First, learn all human knowledge discovered so far—we, many of whom are products and champions of free education, have done so. Second, learn the pain of the oppressed—we have lived with it. Third, learn to change the world—eschewing personal gain, we must work for the common good to change this country. With joined hands, we move forward together. Thank you.