The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, thank you.

¶ 02 Hon. Prime Minister, as Minister for Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, your leadership gives us confidence that the Ministry will perform well.

¶ 03 This Budget frames education around quality, equity, and excellence—“Education as the foundation of national development.” Notable allocations are welcome, but they must be distributed equitably nationwide. As MP for Vanni District, I request fair, district‑based distribution.

¶ 04 We welcome the allocation of Rs. 10,000 million for school infrastructure. Yet, in Vanni there remain schools without completed buildings, classrooms, libraries, or laboratories. Our children in Vanni struggle at school due to shortages of teachers, lack of internet, and absence of proper guidance; dropout rates remain high.

¶ 05 The foremost challenge is staffing. In the six education zones of Vanni—especially Mullaitivu—there is a shortage of teachers for Mathematics, Science, English, Aesthetics, Special Education, Physics, Combined Mathematics, and Commerce. From 1AB down to Type 2 schools, lack of subject teachers denies students quality education. Will you ensure your quality and equity policy is realized in Vanni?

¶ 06 STEM teacher shortages in Mullaitivu are critical. The Mullaitivu Zone alone has 392 vacancies: 322 teachers, 23 principals, 20 watchmen, and 12 minor staff. Ten subject areas, including Science, Mathematics, and ICT, have no teachers; 14 schools lack principals. In Vavuniya South there are 29 watchman vacancies and 10 minor staff vacancies. What is the plan to regularize development officers and integrate graduates to fill these gaps?

¶ 07 Northern and Eastern Provinces lag behind other seven provinces in ICT transformation. Of the nine provinces, only North and East lack adequate ICT and distance‑learning centres: East has four zones and North three zones without ICT resource centres. Why this disparity? In my Vanni District, why do Mullaitivu and Mannar zones still lack these centres? Teachers there also lack training opportunities, and many computers are out of order.

¶ 08 Rigid procedures for repair and disposal of electronic equipment mean thousands of computers remain locked away for over a decade, effectively e‑waste. In 2024 surveys: in Mullaitivu Zone, 57 percent of desktop computers were found defective; in Vavuniya South, 75 percent were defective. Without watchmen, parts are stolen from locked rooms. Please adopt practical, policy‑level procedures for repair and disposal.

¶ 09 Beyond ICT, many Vanni schools lack proper sanitation, libraries, and functioning science labs—undermining STEM practicals. Strengthen library services as well. Finally, let me say: “Investment in education is not an expense; it is the best investment.” Thank you.