Topic
Education
1,409 speeches · 257 speakers
Party share
By the speaker's party · counts only, no scoring. "Unattributed" = speeches not resolved to an MP.
Most active on this topic
| # | Member | Speeches |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hon. Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, M.P. JJB | 213 |
| 2 | Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna, M.P. JJB | 99 |
| 3 | Hon. Sajith Premadasa, M.P. SJB | 51 |
| 4 | Hon. (Dr.) Nalinda Jayatissa, M.P. JJB | 29 |
| 5 | Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna, M.P. SJB | 25 |
| 6 | Hon. Ravi Karunanayake, M.P. NDF | 25 |
| 7 | Hon. Nalin Hewage, M.P. JJB | 21 |
| 8 | Hon. Chamara Sampath Dasanayake, M.P. NDF | 18 |
| 9 | Hon. Dayasiri Jayasekara, Attorney at Law, M.P. SJB | 17 |
| 10 | Hon. Gayantha Karunathilleka, M.P. SJB | 17 |
Speeches
1,409 on this topic- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran ITAK AI summary Hon. Thurairasa Ravikaran welcomed the Budget’s focus and allocations for education but urged equitable, district-based distribution, particularly for the Vanni District. He highlighted serious shortages in school infrastructure, teachers, principals, support staff, ICT facilities, internet access, laboratories, libraries, and sanitation, citing major vacancies and defective computer stocks in Mullaitivu and Vavuniya South. He asked the Government to address teacher and staff shortages through regularizing development officers and integrating graduates, establish ICT and distance-learning centres in underserved Northern and Eastern zones, and adopt practical procedures for repairing or disposing of unusable electronic equipment. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Upali Pannilage - Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment JJB AI summary Minister Upali Pannilage said the Government is increasing investment in higher education, including Rs. 135 billion for the sector, to address limited university access, curriculum and assessment reform, staffing shortages, and infrastructure gaps. He stated that Mahapola and bursary payments are proposed to be increased from April, with Rs. 4,600 million allocated, and Rs. 37,891 million set aside for university infrastructure including hostels, sanitation, and student facilities. He also said the Vice-Chancellor appointment process under the Universities Act needs depoliticization and reform, while Rs. 3,000 million has been allocated to begin addressing academic and non-academic vacancies and pay issues. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Harini Amarasuriya JJB AI summary Harini Amarasuriya acknowledged the importance of education and thanked the Member for raising the issues. She stated that the request regarding the UGC examination had been referred to the University Grants Commission, which was due to meet the following day to seek a resolution, and undertook to keep the Member informed. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam ACTC AI summary Hon. G.G. Ponnambalam urged fuller implementation of the Subodhini Salary Commission recommendations for teachers and principals, arguing that the current Budget’s three-year increments fall short and proposing that funds be reprioritized from areas such as unnecessary Ministries and Defence. He called for an end to Civil Security Department-run preschools in the Northern Province, describing them as militarization of education, and requested that all preschools be brought under the Education Ministry with comparable salaries. He also highlighted urgent Northern Province education needs, including about Rs. 2 billion for incomplete facilities and significant teacher, administrative and minor staff vacancies, and asked that a UGC promotion examination be held in Jaffna or at least Vavuniya for the convenience of affected applicants. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Nalin Hewage - Deputy Minister of Vocational Education JJB AI summary Nalin Hewage said education should be the Government’s foremost development priority and welcomed the restructuring of the portfolio and increased allocation for education. He argued that the current school system is highly unequal and proposed reorganizing it into about 5,000 well-equipped schools, one per ward, with adequate facilities and teachers, alongside periodic paid training sabbaticals for teachers. He also called for major vocational education reforms from 2026, including Grade 9 pathway guidance, improved social recognition for trades, and policies to ensure skilled workers receive dignified and viable incomes. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. M.A.M. Thahir ACMC AI summary Hon. M.A.M. Thahir called for the withdrawal or revision of a previous statement, arguing that it was inaccurate or inappropriate. He began to raise an issue concerning the establishment of university colleges in six provinces, specifically referring to the situation in the Eastern Province. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. M.A.M. Thahir ACMC AI summary Hon. M.A.M. Thahir highlighted inadequate school infrastructure, including shortages of desks and chairs, poor toilet facilities affecting girls, and the lack of night watchmen and sanitation workers. He requested direct Government funding for these needs instead of indirect contributions from parents, and called for hygiene and female-friendly toilets to be prioritized in future school plans. He also raised concerns about Tamil and Muslim HNDE English teachers posted to Sinhala areas in Ampara District, urging resolution of language and transport difficulties and action on English teacher vacancies in Akkaraipattu and Sammanthurai. He further requested graduate appointments and internal placement policies for long-waiting graduates and teachers, and briefly responded to remarks by Hon. Dr. Archchuna concerning Islamic religious matters. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. M.A.M. Thahir ACMC AI summary Hon. M.A.M. Thahir welcomed the Government’s Rs. 6,000 support for students but argued that weaknesses in teacher transfers, long commutes, and reduced teacher engagement are undermining free education and driving students toward private tuition, including for the Grade 5 scholarship. He questioned why the 2025 education allocation for Ampara District had reportedly been reduced to about half of the 2024 allocation. He urged the Education Ministry to develop a proper national plan for preschool education with qualified teachers and adequate facilities, and also highlighted shortages of school buildings, furniture, and other infrastructure affecting students. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Anura Karunathilaka - Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Housing JJB AI summary Minister Anura Karunathilaka said the Government has increased higher education funding to Rs. 118 billion and allocated 1.9 per cent of GDP for education, while noting fiscal limits on the policy goal of reaching 6 per cent. He highlighted shortages in academic and non-academic university staff and urged that Rs. 3 billion allocated for recruitment be used efficiently in consultation with the Treasury. He also called for faster A/L results and university admissions through modernization of the Examinations Department and UGC processes, and proposed easing duty on research equipment and expediting foreign university MoU approvals. He outlined increased salaries and allowances for academic and non-academic staff, stating the Government’s commitment to retaining qualified personnel in universities. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) M.L.A.M. Hizbullah SLMC AI summary The Hon. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah urged education reforms, including modernized school and university curricula aligned with global and industry needs, and requested expansion of South Eastern University with Medical, Law, and Tourism Faculties. He asked the Ministry to grant permanent status to the Pottuvil Zonal Education Office and said reforms to Muslim Marriage and Divorce Law should be handled through relevant religious and government institutions without inflaming community sentiment. He strongly supported developing the non-State higher education sector, citing unmet demand for university places, foreign exchange outflows from students studying abroad, and recommendations of the 2023 Select Committee to create a Higher Education Commission, regulate private universities, support PPPs, and allow qualified institutes to use the term “University.” Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna objected to a claim that teachers and principals lacked the qualifications to receive relief for salary anomalies. She stated that she had served as a teacher until 2015 and distinguished her own professional background from trade union activity related to securing salary benefits. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Muneer Mulaffer - Deputy Minister of National Integration JJB AI summary Deputy Minister Muneer Mulaffer supported the education-related Heads of Expenditure, stating that the Government had prioritized student welfare and school infrastructure to reduce inequalities in access to education. He cited allocations for uniforms, school buses, student vouchers, sanitary pads, nutrition, student health insurance, scholarships, sports schools, and unfinished school buildings, including Al-Ulak Central College. He also criticized politically motivated national school declarations and admissions practices, and emphasized completing neglected facilities and improving basic conditions such as sanitation. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem AI summary Hon. Mohamed Sali Naleem used the Budget debate to request Education Ministry action on several Eastern Province education issues, including returning former police station land to Aligar National School, starting its technical stream, upgrading facilities and staffing at Meeraikeni Makkar Makkar National School, and addressing teacher shortages in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Digamadulla. He also sought the handover of land for Ottamavadi National School’s playground, Cabinet approval for a girls’ school in Ottamavadi, and new or improved educational institutions including faculties at South Eastern University, a technical college in Pottuvil, a Sammanturai education zone, and facilities for schools in Kalmunai. He objected to remarks made in the previous day’s debate about Islamic marriage and divorce laws, and asked the Speaker to guide Members to avoid statements that could provoke communal sentiments. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Imran Maharoof SJB AI summary Hon. Imran Maharoof raised concerns about ethnic segregation in educational administration in Trincomalee District and requested the establishment of separate education zones for Kuchchaveli and Thambalagamuwa, citing a 2023 recommendation from the Eastern Provincial Education Secretary regarding Kuchchaveli. He highlighted severe shortages of education administrative officers in Kinniya Zone and teacher vacancies across remote Tamil, Muslim and Sinhala schools, urging proper cadre creation and equitable teacher distribution when new College of Education graduates are appointed. He also called for tuition classes to be regulated through education policy, noting their impact on students’ study time. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran JJB AI summary Mayilvaganam Jegatheeswaran highlighted increased education allocations in the Budget and requested that part of the Rs. 10,000 million for national school infrastructure be directed to poorly equipped schools in Mullaitivu, Vavuniya and Mannar. He cited serious staffing shortages in the Northern Province and proposed district-based competitive recruitment and placement for teachers and principals to address failures in past appointment and transfer procedures. He also called for remedies for surplus and acting principals, appointment of minor staff for schools, and action on delayed teacher training, promotions and increments. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Kins Nelson SJB AI summary Hon. Kins Nelson urged greater budgetary attention to university accommodation and staffing, noting that only about 61,000 of 176,661 university students have hostel facilities and that State universities have around 7,000 vacancies against the approved cadre. He listed major infrastructure gaps in schools nationally and in Polonnaruwa District, including shortages of computers, laboratories, libraries, playgrounds, sanitation, teachers, and principals, with particular deficits in English, Mathematics and Science. He requested that recently designated national schools receive actual facilities and staff, citing specific needs at Thopawewa, Wilayaya and Ellehara Mahasen National Schools, including computers, teachers, quarters, an auditorium, water and sanitation. He also called for special attention to unsafe school access in Dimbulagala and Welikanda, including elephant threats and the need for protective fencing. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Ajith P. Perera urged the Government to introduce English-medium education in all secondary schools, noting that English is constitutionally recognized as the link language and is essential for advancement in fields such as IT, law, medicine and commerce. He proposed a phased rollout beginning from Grade 6, supported by surveys, teacher training, investment, and use of English-proficient graduates and existing teachers. He said the Opposition would support the initiative, citing the historical role of English-medium Central Colleges in enabling social mobility and arguing that stronger English education could help reduce poverty and improve national competitiveness. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Ajith P. Perera SJB AI summary Ajith P. Perera argued that Sri Lanka’s free education tradition, associated with C.W.W. Kannangara, originally included both equality of access and strong English-medium opportunities through Central Colleges and bilingual schools. He said English proficiency has become a decisive factor in employment, higher education and professional advancement, contributing to demand for international schools and English streams in national schools. He proposed making primary education available in the mother tongue while introducing compulsory dual-medium English education from the secondary level in every school. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna said education reforms should focus on changing assessment methods to reduce stress on children and allow them to enjoy childhood, noting that some countries avoid examinations in early years. He suggested that such reforms could eventually make the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination unnecessary. He also acknowledged the role of teachers, principals, teacher advisors and Ministry officials, particularly those serving in difficult and remote schools, in implementing these reforms. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB AI summary Dr. Madhura Senevirathna said the Budget sets a direction for education reform aimed at continuity, sustainability and balance, contrasting it with past policies that emphasized either free education, technical education or ICT without a durable roadmap. He argued that the education system must reduce exam pressure, develop soft skills and citizenship from early childhood, and orient higher education toward global employability. He highlighted planned reforms including a pre-school education policy, strengthened special education units, and a regulatory framework for private and international schools. He added that the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination remains necessary only because of unequal school resources, and should become unnecessary once equity is achieved. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →