An awareness meeting for the Members of Parliament about the proposed new education reforms was held today (22) at the parliamentary premises with the participation of The Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasooriya.
Expressing views at this occasion Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasooriya said,
There has been a high enthusiasm as well as a considerable debate in the society over the proposed new education reforms that have been planning for the implementation by our government. It is very important to have a social dialogue about this nationally important program.
Therefore, with the realization of the necessity of you all as Members of Parliament to work with correct understanding about the proposed new education reforms, today this meeting is held as one step of making you aware of this and obtaining your suggestions and views on this program.
We are ready to listen to your views and suggestions about new education reforms after providing a detailed document prepared about proposed new education reforms to you and also making you aware of new education reforms, said The Prime Minister.
After the Prime Minister’s explanation of basic facts, The Deputy Director of National Institute of Education Dr. Darshana Samaraweera provided a detailed audio-visual presentation to the members of parliament who had attended the meeting.
After that, several government and opposition members of parliament including The Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, Sivagnanam Sridharan, Ajith P. Perera, Rohini Kawirathna, Dr. Harsha De Silva and Dayasiri Jayasekara presented their ideas and the government and opposition members of parliament said that doing an education reform is a contemporary requirement and their support is extended to the positive factors of the education reforms that the present government is preparing to introduce.
The majority of the members of parliament drew their attention mainly to the necessity of drawing more attention to areas like using English language as a medium, expansion of English language and provision of maximum human resources necessary for education. The answers for their questions on education reforms were provided by The Prime Minister, The Secretary of the Ministry of Education and the Deputy Director of National Institute of Education.
Further expressing the ideas, The Prime Minister said,
The revision of curricula and the education reform is not one and the same thing but two separate things and the Prime Minister pointed out that this time it is a changing of present education system itself and it is a process scheduled to be done in step by step within a considerable expansion of time very carefully but not in a hurry.
The first stage of this will be implemented in 2026 for the students in grade one and grade six and considering the responses received from it, the process will be continued doing necessary changes. The Prime Minister further pointed out that the new education reforms are implemented in a new approach in comparison to the former education reforms and the proposed education reform process is based on a five pillars namely, curriculum development, human resource development, infrastructure in the field of education, reforms in the education administrative structure, evaluation and assessment process and propaganda and sensitizing people.
The Prime Minister listened carefully to all the presentations and raised questions of all government and opposition members of parliaments and provided proper answers and said that this kind of sensitizations will be done in the future also and her attention will be drawn to the suggestions and views presented by members of parliament and expressed her thanks for providing those particulars.
The Members of parliament representing the government and the opposition, the secretary to the Prime Minister Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri, the secretary of the Ministry of Education Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa and a team of officers from National Institute of Education attended this meeting.
Media Unit
