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

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, one of the gravest crises in our school education system is admissions into intermediate grades (Grades 2–11), driven by intense competition for popular National Schools. According to the 2023/2024 school census: - National Schools: 396; Students: 830,021; Teachers: 43,306 - Provincial Schools: 9,700; Students: 3,052,667; Teachers: 194,487 - Total: 10,096 schools; 3,882,688 students; 237,787 teachers

¶ 02 Though National Schools are only 3.95% of all schools, excessive demand for them has escalated the crisis. Circular 17/2023 (25.04.2023) provides guidelines for admissions to intermediate grades: where class-level vacancies exist, they should be publicly notified and filled by merit within specified categories. Maximum class sizes are 40 (Grades 2–5) and 45 (Grades 6–11). Clause 6.0 authorizes the Secretary, Ministry of Education, to decide exceptional admissions (e.g., court orders or cases not covered by the circular) to ensure continuity of education. Importantly, no admissions may exceed maximum class size.

¶ 03 However, soon after issuance, lists of requests from various groups began arriving to admit students contrary to available vacancies. As an alternative pathway, Cabinet Memorandum ED/EQD/23/77 (18.07.2023) proposed allowing the Secretary—under Clause 6.0—to approve admissions to National Schools for specific occupational groups and individuals in circumstances beyond their control not covered by the circular, upon justification. Cabinet approval was granted by Decision AMP/23/1337/607/110 (24.07.2023).

¶ 04 Because strict adherence to maximum class size while the system is being restructured proved practically difficult, further Cabinet decisions (ED/ACT/23/102 of 19.09.2023 and AMP/23/1774/607/110-1 of 11.10.2023) empowered the Secretary, pending system reforms, to approve admissions above the stated class-size limits where necessary.

¶ 05 As a result, permitting admissions beyond vacancies has created multiple system-level issues: - Under occupational categories, 523 students (2023) and 728 (2024) were admitted. - Separately, in 2023, 87 students were admitted by the Ministry based on requests from various parties. - In 2024, a special committee admitted 555 students to intermediate grades without vacancies—many requests originated from MPs and Ministers, often not for their own children but those they nominated.

¶ 06 Key problems observed: 1. Over-admissions undermine classroom space norms (1.06 m² per primary student; 0.93 m² per secondary student), impeding forthcoming school infrastructure reforms. 2. Overfilling Grades 2–4 in National Schools reduces opportunities for Grade 5 Scholarship qualifiers to enter Grade 6, raising cut-off marks. 3. Preferential admissions linked to National School staff complicate staff transfers. 4. Children with special merits (e.g., sports) are denied fair chances due to over-admissions. 5. High demand has fostered malpractice; CID and CIABOC investigations are underway. Ministry officials and ministerial staff face heavy lobbying (now somewhat reduced). 6. Overcrowding triggers discipline and health complaints and degrades learning environments; some parents have sought redress before the Human Rights Commission and Courts. 7. Despite many schools with genuine vacancies, parental preference gravitates to a small set of popular, resource-rich National Schools with wider co-/extra-curricular offerings, undermining equal educational opportunity.

¶ 07 Proposals: - Amend authority so that no admissions to intermediate grades in National Schools may be approved beyond maximum class sizes or without vacancies. - Revise the circular to define fair, transparent criteria ensuring equal opportunity in intermediate admissions, while preserving limited, well-defined exceptions for genuine hardship. - Implement system-wide reforms to reduce inequities and raise quality across all schools. - Expand bilingual education opportunities. - Invest in human and physical resources in both Provincial and National Schools to uplift overall quality.

¶ 08 We accept the State’s responsibility to ensure fair access and conducive learning environments. We will re-orient processes accordingly.

¶ 09 Thank you.