The Hon. Imran Maharoof

¶ 01 Thank you, Hon. Presiding Member. I am glad to speak in the debate on Education, Higher Education and TVET. Many issues arise, especially concerning marginalized communities.

¶ 02 In Trincomalee District there are five education zones: Kinniya, Muttur, Trincomalee, Trincomalee North and Kantale. A key concern is ethnic segregation of schools by zones: Sinhala-medium schools linked to Kantale Zone, Muslim schools to Kinniya Zone, Tamil schools to Trincomalee Zone, with Thambalagamuwa caught amidst this division. While we speak of building a non-racist, non-sectarian nation, educational administration remains segregated.

¶ 03 We attempted to form a separate education zone for Thambalagamuwa, but the number of schools did not suffice. Similarly, within the Trincomalee Zone, the Kuchchaveli division faces many problems: school infrastructure gaps aside, teacher shortages are acute. We pursued creating a separate zone for Kuchchaveli. The Eastern Provincial Education Secretary issued a recommendation on 2023.09.26, expressing willingness to proceed. I submit that letter for the record and request the central Ministry to act and establish the Kuchchaveli Zone, considering the disadvantaged status of our students. Likewise, create a separate zone for Thambalagamuwa to end ethnicized administration. The previous government even linked a Sinhala-medium school from Muttur Zone to Kantale Zone without rationale — an ethnically motivated step.

¶ 04 Kinniya Zone faces severe shortages of Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service officers: where 20 officers are needed, only three serve, causing major administrative issues. Despite raising this with the Eastern Province Governor months ago, no response has been received. Please resolve this.

¶ 05 In Kuchchaveli division local teachers posted to remote schools quickly seek transfers out — this affects Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala schools alike, including areas such as Gomarankadawala, Padavisripura and Morawewa, where Sinhala-medium schools also have many vacancies. When appointing graduates from Colleges of Education this year, ensure proper cadre creation and equitable distribution across all districts in our province. Excuses like reliance on outdated 2018 cadre creation force teachers from local areas to serve outside districts. Please correct this.

¶ 06 Tuition classes have become a major challenge: many children attend late into the night, making self-study at home difficult. Please bring tuition under a proper regulatory framework through education policy.