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By Sandun Jayawardana  

The National People’s Power (NPP) government’s ambitious plans to reform the country’s education system has run into a storm of controversy in recent weeks, particularly over allegations that history and aesthetic subjects were no longer going to be mandatory for some grades. This may well have compelled the government to quickly move ahead with a debate on “Proposed New Education Reforms” on Thursday (24) when the Committee on Parliamentary Business, which met on Tuesday, decided not to proceed with the second reading of the Sri Lanka Electricity (Amendment) Bill, which was the debate that had originally been scheduled for Thursday.

The country’s education system had not undergone a comprehensive reform for a long time, resulting in the education system being unable to keep pace with a rapidly changing world. This created a serious dialogue in society on the need for wide-ranging educational reforms, said Monaragala District NPP MP Ruwan Wijeweera, moving the adjournment motion on behalf of the government on Thursday.  

He pointed out that these reforms are not new and that their foundation had been laid from about 2019 by several institutions including the National Institute of Education, the Ministry of Education and the National Education Commission. Once the NPP government came to power, it carried out a comprehensive review of the proposed reforms so that they aligned with the party’s education policy, the MP said. “These education reforms align with our vision on how the education system can be used to carry out our social transformation and they will be introduced from 2026,” Mr. Wijeweera stressed.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa observed that the day’s debate on such an important topic was taking place without a concept paper. The Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) in contrast, had already drafted its concept paper and had presented it at previous elections as part of a broader social contract. “The government needs to move beyond PowerPoint presentations and present such a concept paper if we are to move towards meaningful education reforms which we all desire,” Mr. Premadasa asserted.

He stressed that education reforms are essential for the country. “Educational transformation should be initiated in a manner which is target-oriented and goal-oriented. It should be time targeted. There should be a timetable, and a precise and specific timeline,” the opposition leader noted. Mr. Premadasa said the current education system is vastly outdated and trapped in an archaic framework, adding that it was highly unfair on the country’s student population. “We need to modernise our education system in order to create problem-solving citizens,” he further argued, stating that subjects such as Information Communication Technology (ICT) should be made mandatory and STEAM education, comprising subjects such as Science, Technology, Engineering, English, Art and Maths should be expanded.

Mr. Premadasa said the government’s education reform proposals contained many sensational hopes but was light on details on how such hopes could be practically achieved.

The government is extremely open to discussing the proposed education reforms and is willing to accept constructive criticism, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Madhura Senevirathna told the House. “If this process is to be successful, it needs to reach the people and create a dialogue among them. We are always open for such discussions. Even now, the reforms which we expect to enact for Grades 1 and 6 next year, will involve all relevant stakeholders including the general public, parents and educationists.”

The deputy minister also explained that under the proposed education reforms, the government intends to introduce an activity-based system for primary education that deals away with exams. He added that the government would review the Grade 5 scholarship examination in 2028 and take a decision on its future in 2029.

How much importance the government attaches to its proposed education reforms was made visible when President Anura Kumara Dissanayake himself attended the debate and spoke for almost an hour in support of the proposed reforms. He acknowledged that when discussions about education reform arose, issues such as whether history is included in the curriculum or not became the main topic. However, what is being proposed here is by no means merely a curriculum revision, he argued. “Instead, these new education reforms are proposed for a fresh transformation of our entire society, our economic body and our country.”

“Through our education reform programme, the government is taking responsibility for ensuring that every child receives a high-quality school education. This reform involves rethinking the structure and purpose of our school system, which is a critical undertaking. Every child deserves access to a school equipped with proper facilities, qualified staff, and extracurricular activities that enrich the social environment they grow up in,” the President insisted.

President Dissanayake explained that the government is now implementing reforms across the entire education system revising subjects, teaching methods and even the volume and weight of the curriculum with the goal of giving children a meaningful and balanced life. “Today, the majority of children entering school aspire to become doctors or engineers. But education is not a single, narrow path. It is a wide array of diverse journeys. So what has gone wrong? Our society has placed social value, respect, and professional worth into just two or three fields. Parents believe that for their child to have a good life, they must become a doctor or an engineer. That is simply not true. A society cannot be built on doctors and engineers alone. A healthy, functioning society depends on a broad spectrum of professions. What we need is professionalism across every field. Every profession deserves dignity, value and recognition.”

The new education reform programme will begin gradually, starting with Grade 6 in 2026, Grade 7 in 2027, Grade 8 in 2028 and Grade 9 in 2029. That means there are still more than three years before the reforms reach Grade 9, President Dissanayake said. “Only when we reach that stage in 2029 will we begin the crucial discussions around helping students identify and pursue the right path for their individual talents, interests and aspirations,” the President explained.