The Hon. Bimal Rathnayake – Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development and Leader of the House of Parliament

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, at a time of a nationwide discussion on education reform, I am pleased to present a few points.

¶ 02 Education reform is arguably a more engaging public topic than constitutional change itself—and rightly so. Parents have rights; children have rights; we decide their future. The broader the discussion, the better. This debate is important.

¶ 03 As the National People’s Power (NPP), since 2018 we initiated foundational discussions and committees on reforms now in motion, conducting extensive dialogue for about six years. During the presidential campaign, alongside our main policy document “A Prosperous Country – A Beautiful Life,” we also presented standalone policies, including a dedicated education policy—rare in our history. We knew that without broad dialogue, even our party could not adopt such a program. Our education policy emerged from long struggles of student movements, teacher unions and academics.

¶ 04 The people gave us the mandate. After taking office, the Ministry’s task was to merge our mandate’s aims with the reform work long underway in the relevant institutions: the National Institute of Education, the National Education Commission, and Ministry departments. Our goal was to incorporate the essence of our 66 concrete points into those reforms. We succeeded to a significant extent in year one. People endorsed our policy, not others’. We are bound to implement it—not to alter reforms arbitrarily, but to execute them practically.

¶ 05 We trust these institutions and their experts with vast experience. However, there was a clear shortcoming: an error occurred in the Grade 6 module; disciplinary action has begun against some involved, and further oversight gaps must be examined. We regret the disruption to otherwise good work but do not consider it a reason to halt reforms.

¶ 06 The purpose of criticism should be to fix errors, not to tear the Prime Minister apart with the vilest attacks, nor to hurt Grade 6 children just to land a blow on the Government. In recent history no Education Minister has faced such venom. Despite this, the Prime Minister’s life history is one of service to education.

¶ 07 Media conduct after Cabinet postponed only the Grade 6 component showed an overwhelming bias—some channels devoted 70–80 per cent of airtime to anti-reform propaganda, not intellectual critique, with base insults. Many Opposition MPs joined in. The aim was to inflict maximum damage. One must always ask whether a blow to the Government also harms the country. Here, it did—Grade 6 children lost immediate access to reform because of the Opposition and their allied media.

¶ 08 We observed parental anxiety; some were misled into protests. Therefore we paused only Grade 6. In any reform, among 250,000 teachers, some errors will occur—even the most skilled make mistakes. But when past systems failed—exam paper leaks, textbook printing failures—no queues formed to protest. Now any small hiccup is weaponized to disrupt children’s education.

¶ 09 As Prof. Chandra Gunawardena of the Open University has written, “In any education system, the lever is the teacher.” In a rollout, mistakes can happen; the Opposition and friendly media will magnify each slip and incite further agitation. We halted Grade 6 to protect children from that turmoil.

¶ 10 I saw a fitting verse shared online:

¶ 11 “The sal trees still stand by the monastery grounds; upon those very branches, blossoms shall appear. There are other trees besides the sal; but some are unwilling to know this.”

¶ 12 In the 70s and 80s we said “milk to Colombo, cucumbers to the village.” Today the world is more connected; it is “milk to the world, cucumbers to Lanka.” We need reforms to bring Sri Lanka up to global standards. Free education is our nuclear weapon; we will strengthen it, never weaken it.

¶ 13 Some allegations: these reforms are funded by a World Bank loan—false. That textbooks must be bought—false; they are free. Claims about QR codes being paid—false. QR simply links to audio/visual content; smartphones are commonplace. Claims of excluding the poor—false. We are increasing scholarships, Mahapola, shoes and uniforms; I will table details.

¶ 14 In economics, only a few follow complex topics like bonds. But with education, all 22 million have views. That is fine, but policymaking must balance personal wishes with best evidence and practice. Education reform must meet national aspirations, reduce inequality and burdens, de-emphasize exam-centrism, restore childhood, promote sports and co-curriculars, build vocational capacity, values, soft skills, love for country, environment and animals, respect for other cultures, media and financial literacy, and reduce excessive tuition. One can list a hundred aims; reform must balance them.

¶ 15 We cannot make every subject compulsory while also reducing burden. Some argue the top 5 per cent might be marginally affected under modules while more students benefit overall; we must accommodate both ends sensibly. Khalil Gibran reminded us: children are not ours to possess; they belong to the future. We must heed educators and best practices, balancing unlimited desires against practical pathways for the next decade. We regret pausing only Grade 6 due to a vicious campaign; had internal party advocates pushed back earlier, even within their own parties, it might have helped. Thank you.