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. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna raised allegations of academic misconduct and irregular appointments, tabling documents concerning alleged fake or manipulated publications linked to a promotion and PhD, and questioning the handling of a lecturer’s teaching-hour shortfall and related charge sheet. She also warned that reducing spirit strength and selling alcohol in 180 ml packs could encourage alcohol use among children, citing increased alcohol consumption among schoolgirls and referring to Article 27 of the Constitution. She urged the Minister to address unresolved issues affecting employees across the education sector. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna questioned the Government’s position on the teachers’ salary anomaly and urged greater attention to capital expenditure in education, noting that ministries often receive less than half of allocated capital funds and even less for projects. She raised concerns about alleged political influence in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors at universities including Ruhuna, Rajarata, Eastern and South Eastern, claiming shortlisted candidates were being bypassed after elections. She also highlighted the issue of fake certificates and tabled a Daily FT article by Prof. L.P. Jayatissa on fake journal publications in university systems. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Rohini Kumari Wijerathna urged the Minister to respond with practical solutions to issues in education, particularly the reported shortage of about 40,000 teachers despite an approved cadre of 235,924 and improved teacher-student ratios. She cautioned against using Development Officers to cover teacher vacancies and called for National Colleges of Education and Teacher Training Colleges to be modernized and elevated to university level. She also challenged claims that there is no two-thirds teacher pay anomaly, referencing the 2/97 Circular, the B.C. Perera Commission, her earlier parliamentary intervention in 2020, and the death of teacher Waruni Asanka during the related struggle. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijerathna SJB AI summary Hon. Rohini Kumari Wijerathna urged the Education Minister to issue pending teacher appointments, particularly for Sinhala-medium teachers in the North and East and graduate teachers in the Central Province. She argued that Sri Lanka’s education framework is outdated, citing long-standing laws and circulars, and said past reform efforts since the 1960s were obstructed by political and student movements. She called for renewed education reform beyond the existing model of free education, noting that past opposition to private, foreign, and curriculum reforms had limited opportunities for students, especially those from lower-income families. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Mano Ganesan SJB AI summary Mano Ganesan called for Government and Opposition cooperation to address the needs of disadvantaged communities, then urged the Prime Minister and Education Minister to act on long-standing Tamil-medium education issues in Colombo national schools. Citing Royal College, D.S. Senanayake College and Isipathana College, he argued that Tamil-medium classes are being reduced despite demand and resources, and requested increased Tamil-medium admissions, stronger staffing and management structures, and a special administrative focus for Tamil-medium education in cosmopolitan areas. He also proposed integrated schooling under one roof for Sinhala, Tamil and other communities, including by introducing Sinhala-medium sections in major Jaffna schools rather than maintaining separate schools. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep JJB AI summary Sundaralingam Pradeep argued that the hill-country community has been held back by inadequate educational provision under past Governments. He acknowledged efforts by leaders such as Mano Ganesan to improve education and called for unity in advancing educational opportunities for the community. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep - Deputy Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure JJB AI summary Hon. Sundaralingam Pradeep said the 2025 Budget gives increased priority to education, but plantation-area schools continue to face long-standing shortages of teachers, resources, transport, housing, nutrition support and equitable allocation. He called for filling Tamil-medium and subject-specific vacancies, appointing local graduates, resolving delayed assistant teacher recruitment after court decisions, absorbing acting principals, training over 400 untrained hill-country teachers, and providing incentives for teachers from the North and East to serve in plantation areas. He also urged better facilities for remote schools in Mullaitivu and Kilinochchi, upgrading Tamil-medium national schools by district, and establishing a university for the hill country. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna SJB AI summary Hon. Harshana Rajakaruna argued that education reform should prioritize early childhood and primary education, with standards and trained staff for pre-schools, reduced exam pressure, and a clear government position on changes to the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. He called for regulation of private and international schools, review of the GCE O/L subject load, attention to principal and university lecturer salary anomalies, and depoliticization of appointments in the education sector. He also urged expedited teacher recruitment and stronger support for students with special needs, including trained teachers rather than only physical facilities. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva JJB AI summary Hon. Sugath Wasantha de Silva expressed condolences on the death of Dr. Janaki Jayawardena and linked his remarks to the responsibility to protect and strengthen free education. He urged that special education be central to education reforms, with experts and special education teachers included in decision-making, and questioned why admissions to special education teacher training had been limited to 15. He also called for justice for Special Education Project Officers affected by non-implementation of a 2006 Cabinet decision, and for inclusive education measures such as accessible classrooms, assistive technology, mobility access, sign language support, and appropriate alternatives in examination papers for students with disabilities. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF AI summary Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana welcomed the presence of 22 women MPs in Parliament and noted the significance of a woman Prime Minister also holding the Education portfolio. He urged all 225 MPs to set an example of civility, mutual respect, and cooperation for the education sector and for children, regardless of party divisions. He said the Opposition would support positive decisions taken on education. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana NDF AI summary Hon. Rohitha Abeygunawardhana welcomed increased allocations for education and asked the Government to clarify proposed reforms, including the reported Grade 9 examination and possible changes to the Grade 5 Scholarship, O/L and A/L examinations. He sought an explanation of the status and selection criteria for schools previously designated as National Schools under the programme to convert 1,000 Provincial Council schools, warning that unclear responsibility between provincial and central authorities could harm those schools. He also urged the Government to meet teachers’ and principals’ salary expectations and said strikes in health and education should be avoided because of their impact on lives and children’s futures. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan ITAK AI summary Hon. Kathiravelu Shanmugam Kugathasan called for reforms to curricula, teaching methods, teacher recruitment, and higher education to make learning more student-centred and employment-oriented, including the introduction of polytechnic-style diploma programmes for students not entering universities. He noted that the 2025 Budget increases education allocations to Rs. 271 billion but argued that the sector’s share should rise to at least 10 per cent, while expressing concern over reduced funding for primary school facilities. He highlighted infrastructure, research funding, staffing, and teacher deployment problems, particularly in the North and East, and proposed recruiting teacher trainees locally for appointment to underserved areas. He also detailed shortages and facility needs in Trincomalee District, including 1,875 teacher vacancies, schools without principals or watchmen, dilapidated buildings, lack of technology labs, and flood and elephant risks, and urged urgent funding and appointments. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne JJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) (Ms.) Kaushalya Ariyarathne spoke on the Education Ministry Vote, emphasizing that the Rs. 619 billion allocation must address not only qualitative reforms but also basic infrastructure for safe and accessible learning environments. She highlighted substandard and unfinished school buildings, unused smart boards procured under a 2024 China-supported project, sanitation and water shortages, menstrual hygiene needs, and underused teacher-training facilities, outlining allocations for building completion, safety, provincial facilities, special education, assistive equipment, teacher training, and water and toilet improvements. She also cited major infrastructure and accessibility problems across universities, including incomplete buildings, inadequate laboratories and hostels, unsafe conditions, and lack of disability access, and noted funding for selected health sciences and medical faculty projects. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. Sajith Premadasa - Leader of the Opposition SJB AI summary Hon. Sajith Premadasa argued that education reform must begin with early childhood education and address inequalities between urban and rural schools while strengthening all 10,096 schools. He questioned the Government’s failure to remove VAT on educational equipment and noted that education spending remains far below the previously advocated target of 6 per cent of GDP. He proposed supplementary financing through education philanthropy, sister-school and foreign institutional partnerships, and school trust funds, while calling for action on staff shortages, teacher and principal salary anomalies, inclusive education for persons with disabilities, and integration of AI and STEAM education. He also sought clear plans for promised graduate recruitment, raised concerns over allowances for university staff, treatment of development officers, and alleged political reprisals in the education sector. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) Harini Amarasuriya - Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education JJB AI summary Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya paid tribute to the late Dr. Janaki Jayawardena and linked her role in the FUTA struggle to the need for wider social engagement on education reform. Presenting the 2025 education allocation of Rs. 619 billion, including Rs. 21 billion for capital expenditure, she outlined five reform pillars: curriculum renewal, capacity building for education personnel, infrastructure improvements including sanitation and unfinished school projects, strengthened assessment through the Examinations Department, and social dialogue. She said priority would be given to improving National Colleges of Education, faculties of education, school facilities—especially in estate areas—and higher education quality and student welfare, rather than politically driven expansion without adequate standards or resources. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan SJB AI summary Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan urged the Government to expedite unfinished school development works under the “Nearest School is the Best School” programme and to use the 2025 education budget allocations effectively, including for teacher training colleges, sanitation, water, computer facilities, and incomplete Tamil language training infrastructure. He requested swift action to release 2,500 estate-sector teacher appointments, clarifying that appointments should be based on “Tamil schools” rather than “Tamil-medium schools,” and called for more graduate teachers to improve A/L access and university admission rates among estate students. He also proposed further development of selected estate schools for science and mathematics A/L streams, continuation of National Tamil Language Day as a national event, and attention to stalled works such as the Kotagala Training College. Appropriation Bill, 2025 – Seventeenth Allotted Day – Committee Stage Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) V.S. Radhakrishnan SJB AI summary Dr. V.S. Radhakrishnan moved a token cut to the Ministry of Education expenditure heads during the Committee Stage of the Appropriation Bill, 2025, and opened the debate by emphasizing the importance and legacy of free education in Sri Lanka. He credited C.W.W. Kannangara and successive leaders and education ministers for policies such as Central Colleges, teacher training, midday meals, uniforms, textbooks, Mahindodaya laboratories, and technology streams. He also set out current education sector figures, including the number of schools, students, teachers, principals and teacher training colleges. 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 As part of education reforms, the Deputy Minister said a scientific, needs-based categorization of schools is being developed to ensure students have access to a well-equipped nearby school, generally within a 3 km radius, while accounting for geography and equity. He stated that a pilot profiling exercise covering 98 schools with fewer than 50 students across all nine provinces is in progress and that data compilation is continuing, with implementation expected to begin next year. Oral Answers to Questions Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. Padmasiri Bandara JJB AI summary Hon. Padmasiri Bandara raised concerns that the current system of multiple school categories has intensified competition for admission to a limited number of schools. He asked what steps and timeline the Government has planned to implement the “Prosperous Country – Beautiful Life” policy proposal to categorize schools nationally into Primary, Secondary, and Senior Secondary tiers. Oral Answers to Questions Read →
- 10 March 2025 The Hon. (Dr.) Madhura Senevirathna - Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education JJB AI summary The Deputy Minister acknowledged problems in teacher placements between National and Provincial schools, particularly in districts with few National Schools, where teachers may receive undesirable appointments. He said cross-category transfers remain difficult despite service requirements, and stated that forthcoming education reforms would introduce subject-wise, systematic teacher deployment. He also noted that the transfer policy is under review to reduce these issues and place teachers in nearby schools where possible. Oral Answers to Questions Read →