The Hon. Naina Thambi Marrikkar Mohamed Thahir

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, when we speak of new reforms, we agree the country needs a new education system. We are not against that. From Grades 1–5 there was no major issue; but in Grade 6 there were problems. The President and Government acknowledged this and postponed that component by a year. We kindly request that the errors be corrected and then given to the children.

¶ 02 Education is the foremost national need. When preparing reforms, we must consult parents, students, teachers, principals, zonal and provincial directors, and specialists. If this had been built from the grassroots with such consultation, there would be no crisis. Regardless of Government or Opposition, all our children deserve good education.

¶ 03 I thank the Hon. Prime Minister, as Education Minister, for visiting Puttalam and reviewing shortcomings. We do not attack her personally; whether woman or man is not the issue. The issue is within the education content.

¶ 04 In Puttalam Education Zone there are around 500 teacher vacancies, including Science, English, ICT and Mathematics. How can we advance education without teachers? Physical and human resources must be prioritized; otherwise children cannot progress. The new system must include this.

¶ 05 There are 213 schools in the Puttalam Zone with 8,267 students. Many schools need development. The Zone should be split into two—aligning with Kalpitiya and Madurankuliya divisions. I table the letter requesting division of the Puttalam Education Zone into two.

¶ 06 In the Puttalam Zone, more than ten schools serve children of families displaced from the Northern Province. These schools lack physical resources and teachers. I request the Hon. Minister to address these. The President’s Science College in our Zone is a vital asset for Puttalam people. I recall with gratitude my friend, the late Mr. Faiz, former Deputy Minister and former Mayor of Puttalam, whose idea it was when we sat together in the Provincial Council—he championed establishing this college, which now functions well.

¶ 07 Our party leader, Hon. Rishad Bathiudeen, brought a school from under the Northern Provincial Council to the North Western Provincial Council and into the Puttalam Zone. That school too has shortcomings that should be remedied. Let the new reform be implemented well, with inclusion of all stakeholders, beyond Government–Opposition divides, to build a good education plan for every student in Sri Lanka. We will cooperate. Thank you for the opportunity.