The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education
On behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister, the Deputy Minister listed the postgraduate, degree, diploma, thematic and certificate courses conducted by the National Institute of Education, with admissions and durations tabled in the Library, and described their assessment methods under the SLOF and GPA frameworks. He acknowledged delays in several programmes, including MEd in Educational Management and BEd (Honours) cohorts, citing COVID-19, the economic crisis and academic approval processes, and noted that some delayed courses had been completed while two semester examinations remained pending. In response to supplementary questions, he said the NIE would urgently convene candidates and hold the pending examinations, and that course handbooks would be aligned to the Academic Affairs Board’s decision to use both formative and summative assessments under the national SLOF framework.
Verbatim record (translated)
Machine-translated from Sinhala / Tamil / English¶ 01 Hon. Speaker, on behalf of the Prime Minister and Minister:
¶ 02 (a) (i) Courses: 1. Master of Philosophy in Education 2. Master of Education 3. MSc in Educational Management 4. MPhil/MEdu in Educational Management 5. Postgraduate Diploma in Education 6. Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Management 7. Bachelor of Education (Honours) 8. Bachelor of Education in Educational Management 9. Higher Diploma in Physical Education and Sports 10. Diploma in Educational Measurement and Evaluation 11. Diploma in Early Childhood Development 12. Diploma in School Management 13. Diploma in Special Education 14. Diploma in Sign Language 15. Diploma in Counselling 16. Diploma in School Career Guidance 17. Thematic course on Educational Research Methodology 18. Certificate course in Braille
¶ 03 (ii) Admissions and duration for each course are in Annex 01. Annex 01 is placed in the Library.
¶ 04 (iii) Yes. Research-based courses use thesis and viva; others follow university-style written/practical assessments; diplomas have written and practical exams. NIE conducts assessments aligned to the SLOF framework and GPA system with formative and summative components.
¶ 05 (iv) Courses with distinct assessment modalities include: - MPhil in Education - Master of Education - MSc in Educational Management (proposal, research and evaluation) - MPhil/MEdu in Educational Management - Postgraduate Diploma in Education - Postgraduate Diploma in Educational Management - BEd (Honours) - BEd in Educational Management - Higher Diploma in Physical Education and Sports - Diploma in Educational Measurement and Evaluation - Diploma in Early Childhood Development - Diploma in School Management - Diploma in Special Education - Diploma in Sign Language - Diploma in Counselling - Diploma in School Career Guidance - Thematic course in Educational Research Methodology (three-day practical module) - Certificate in Braille
¶ 06 (v) Yes. Some courses have delays.
¶ 07 (vi) The MEd in Educational Management; the 2-year BEd (Honours) and 4-year BEd (Honours) cohorts experienced delays. For example, a 2022 Sinhala-medium course was delayed eight months and completed; a 2023 English-medium course was delayed four months and completed; a 2024 Tamil-medium course was delayed three months and completed. The BEd (Honours) cohorts recruited in 2021 faced further delays due to COVID-19 and economic crisis; approvals were re-submitted to academic bodies; two semesters’ examinations are pending. This is the official position.
¶ 08 Supplementary by Hon. Sunil Rajapaksha: Many enrolled (about 14,000 applicants; 5,000 admitted; ~3,000 remain) are discouraged by delays and turn to private universities. What measures to prevent this?
¶ 09 Reply: Two semester examinations under the GPA system were delayed; formative assessments were conducted, but summative exams were pending. NIE will urgently convene candidates and conduct the examinations to rectify delays.
¶ 10 Further supplementary: Original scheme stated continuous assessment, yet exams are now held. Why?
¶ 11 Reply: The Academic Affairs Board decided to align with the national SLOF framework used by HEIs. Accordingly, handbooks will consistently reflect formative and summative components under the GPA system, ensuring uniformity going forward.
Provenance
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- Hansard, Friday, 10 April 2026 ·No. 23479 ·English daily/uncorrected Hansard
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Cite as: The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education. 10th Parliament, Parliament of Sri Lanka. Hansard, 10 April 2026. No. 23479. Politick, https://staging.politick.io/lk/speeches/6036