The Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, a concept paper was discussed at the Advisory Committee of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education and uploaded to our website for all Members. We invited Members to discussions; several participated. We remain open to further dialogue to develop and refine the framework.

¶ 02 The concept paper outlines the strategic framework; it does not contain lesson content. Following reports of this incident, we initiated an inquiry into how NIE’s established procedures for module preparation were violated, how such content was included, and who is responsible. The NIE Governing Council oversees discipline. Yesterday, Mr. Ranjith Ariyarathna, a retired Secretary, was appointed to conduct a preliminary inquiry. As noted, the book was sealed and not distributed; the Academic Advisory Board approved removal of the contentious lesson. I also request that, while we discuss, we avoid unnecessarily publicizing the web link, as the lesson has been halted and corrective action is underway. We welcome constructive proposals to strengthen procedures and are open to further discussions on the concept paper.