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

¶ 01 Thank you very much for giving me this opportunity, Madam Deputy Chairperson. I recall that on 08 March last year, many sisters in this Hon. House and a large number of others were subjected to a brutal water cannon attack at Polduwa Junction. Madam Deputy Chairperson, you will remember it too because you also went there. It was after being hit by that water cannon that I came to Parliament that day. The then government even filed cases against us, alleging we broke flower pots. Hon. Minister of Justice, I believe that case is still being heard. Even after I became Prime Minister, statements were taken from me about it, as they were from many of our women Members in this Hon. House, for the supposed offence of breaking flower pots. Be that as it may, it was through that struggle that many of us came to this Hon. House. I note that with gratitude today, and I am also happy that what we stood for over time now gives us the space to be here and speak about this.

¶ 02 Our Hon. Minister spoke about gender equality and women’s rights, noting rightly that these are broad concepts. Within that breadth, when we implement policy we cannot view issues in isolation. When we speak of women’s rights and all rights, we also speak about intersectionality. Injustice in society is not only about being a woman; it is shaped by class, religion, ethnicity, language, caste and other factors that position us in society and determine opportunities and access to resources.

¶ 03 Therefore, this is a complex subject; it is not a mere female–male binary. We must always discuss gender relations and the ways society and social relations are organized through gender, and how inequality and injustice operate through that.

¶ 04 Madam Deputy Chairperson, when we speak about a 76-year curse, we must be clear that it is primarily a political curse we refer to, not that everything in the country over 76 years has been bad. Our people have built much; the country has changed with the world. We focus on the political curse of 76 years.

¶ 05 You know that Sri Lankan women, even today, stand relatively high compared with the world, and particularly in our region we are in a good place. Two main reasons underpin this: free education and a free health system, established in the 1940s. From the beginning, our free education policy ensured education for girls, and many women educators and leaders emerged. Today, girls are ahead in education, and women lead in many spheres.

¶ 06 We must not forget that free education was protected through struggle—thousands of students sacrificed to safeguard it. Especially after 1977, governments tried, in various formal and informal ways, to roll it back. Each time, the people—especially students—intervened to protect it. Women who benefited from free education are today at the forefront with the best outcomes. We must remember this.

¶ 07 We often speak about gender. The Minister also reminded us of its complexities. In education, one area we must urgently consider is boys’ outcomes. While we are happy about girls’ progress, we have concerns about declining exam results and participation among boys, and about dropouts. We need to address the social crises emerging from boys disengaging from education. Building a society that respects gender equality necessarily requires interventions through the education system. Education is not only book knowledge; the learning environment shapes outcomes. Therefore, in our education reforms, we prioritize not only skills, but also nurturing citizens who live in a decent society, who respect all, value differences and dignity, and accept each other.

¶ 08 Accordingly, we aim to build an education system sensitive to gender relations and identities, that understands and respects them. This will be central in our reforms.

¶ 09 We also speak of gender budgeting and gender mainstreaming. Those are necessary, but policy on paper is not enough. These are structural issues; laws alone cannot change women’s lives. Alongside policy, we need structures that implement them: a functioning justice system, police, and budgetary provisions. Establishing a Women and Children’s Affairs unit is not enough if it is unfunded.

¶ 10 Thus, the most important aspect of this Budget is practical interventions—allocations that enable action. That is why, through the Transport Ministry, we can build a more gender-sensitive public transport service; through Health, we can focus specifically on women’s and children’s health; and we have set aside funds for children on the autism spectrum to receive appropriate education and services. Without identifying such needs and allocating resources, we cannot move from policy talk to implementation. This Budget allocates to implement policy.

¶ 11 Remember, this is our Government’s first Budget, presented within nine months in office. This is what we could do within that time. We will intervene further in subsequent Budgets. This is a step-by-step plan; consistency is what matters. The Cabinet acts with consensus as a team. This is not work done by the Ministry of Women and Children alone; it is a shared responsibility. We must all pay special attention to women and children, and also to all socially excluded and marginalized groups. We recognize that and will take all our decisions accordingly.

¶ 12 I must also correct a misunderstanding: it was said that a new tax has been imposed on Sri Lankan migrant workers. There is no such provision in the Budget. Hon. Kumari Wijerathna, perhaps there was confusion with fees charged overseas for services. Often the media misstate matters. The levy on overseas services was reduced from 30 per cent to 15 per cent by the previous regime; media and some parties have misinterpreted this. I reiterate: no new tax has been imposed on Sri Lankan migrant workers abroad. We must all be careful with information.

¶ 13 Madam Deputy Chairperson, due to pressure brought through our Parliament, a decision was taken to appoint the National Women’s Commission. Nominations have already gone to the Constitutional Council. We hope to soon appoint the country’s first independent National Women’s Commission and commence its work.

¶ 14 Finally, this awakening and emergence of women’s leadership also generates strong reactionary forces. We must not allow them to capture what we are building. This is visible globally. Certain groups try to turn gender equality into a cultural war. We must not allow that. We approach this from a progressive position: this is about equality, fairness and justice, not a war among groups. Let all who value equality and justice come together for this struggle. Thank you for the time.