The Hon. (Dr.) Hiniduma Sunil Senevi - Minister of Buddhasasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs

¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, the Hon. Member’s questions are reasonable requests for information.

¶ 02 1. Yes, approval can be granted. The process for registering Qur’an madrasas (after-school classes for children to recite Al-Qur’an) is ongoing without issue. The Member’s main concern is Arabic colleges.

¶ 03 2. On steps taken: On 01.04.2024, then President Ranil Wickremesinghe initiated a proposal for legislation on madrasas. Work commenced and has continued. On 13.10.2025, the current President convened all stakeholders and directed expediting.

¶ 04 There had been no issues earlier; however, after the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, closer scrutiny became necessary. Currently, 321 Arabic colleges are registered; about 82 applications await registration. The President instructed that the process be expedited.

¶ 05 As I previously informed Parliament, delays are due to the ongoing revision of the relevant curriculum. The Ministry of Education has appointed a committee working on it. The proposed Madrasa Schools Bill is linked to the curriculum revision; once harmonized, registrations can proceed without hindrance.

¶ 06 Further, three nine-member review committees are functioning to draft legislation to regularize Arabic colleges and madrasas; their TOR list was sent to the Presidential Secretariat on 30.04.2024. Many steps are in train.

¶ 07 I confirmed today with the Director of Muslim Schools Development, Major N.T. Nasumudeen, that both the Bill and curriculum are in final stages. The Minister of Education has instructed that both be finalized together expeditiously. I will personally intervene to conclude the process and remove obstacles to registration.