Need for clear official document to public on new educational reforms

Education Minister 

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

This is the full text of a letter sent to Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya by the National Executive Committee of the People’s Struggle Alliance on the need for a clear official document to the public on the new educational reforms

By People’s Struggle Alliance

 A controversial debate is currently underway about a serious reform that is going to be implemented in the school education system in Sri Lanka. The debate about these new reforms has arisen in a backdrop where the current NPP Government has not presented a proper clear official document on the matter. Such reforms have been presented from time to time over the past few decades, and no matter how regressive they were, there was always a document that could be subjected to a clear constructive debate. 

The 1981 – Education White Paper, the 1988 – Kingsley Report, the 1993 – School Development Bill, the 1997 – Jayathilaka Committee Report, the 1999 – School Review Proposal (plan to close 3000 schools), the 2005 – Tara Harold Report, the 2007 University Status Review Commission, etc. were all proposals that have been widely debated but, have not been implemented. However, in each of the above cases, no matter how much public protest the reforms were subject to, there was a specific official document presented that could be discussed.

The current NPP administration is going to carry out these reforms based on a PowerPoint presentation prepared only in English. It has already been seen that this will cause serious injustice and mislead all concerned parties who are willing to comment on this. Despite all these facts, such a document has not been presented to Parliament, however, a parliamentary debate has already been held on these reforms, with the President himself participating in it.

As a political party deeply concerned about this issue, the People’s Struggle Alliance has been waiting for the past few weeks in the hope that your Ministry would present an official document on these reforms. But instead, the Minister of Education has been evading the central issue here, and stating that it is not necessary for the Minister to have her name on the document. What is important to the people however, is not if or not the Minister’s name is on the document, but rather, what the basis of these education reforms and who prepared it.

The people of this country have seen such opaque political approaches being unmercifully criticised by the NPP, both inside and outside Parliament before they came into power. It is also important to recall the promise made by the NPP in its mandate, to introduce a new political culture to the country, and to change the 77-year-old political system, because such behaviour is part of the old guard that has now been decisively defeated.

In whose interests are these educational reforms that are being hidden from the general public? Is it in the interests of retaining a loan from the World Bank? Why are you planning to implement this so suddenly in 2026, without allowing for broad public debate? Is it not very undemocratic? Can you act arbitrarily in such a matter when taking decisions about the future of the children of a country? It is true that you have received a mandate from the people, but, do not mistake it for a divine mandate. 

The strong suspicion that the ‘The National Education Policy Framework’ which was initiated by the then Education Minister of the Good Governance Government, Akila Viraj Kariyawasam in 2018, and later presented under the name of the Upali Sedara Report (2021), during the Gotabaya President’s tenure, and presented after 2022 during the tenure of President Ranil Wickremesinghe, as an extension of the above process, is the foundational document of the education reforms presented by the NPP Government, cannot be dismissed.

The above National Education Policy Framework, which was presented during the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration, about two years ago, was subject to great public criticism. Also, the Committee that prepared that report consisted of notorious businessmen of the country. It is a matter of regret that we have to remind the NPP leaders that they too were strong critics of these reforms. As a political party, we clearly acknowledge that a serious reform of the education system in Sri Lanka is needed. However, this must be done whilst protecting the foundations of free education, compulsory education up to the age of 16, and a strong academic education. 

It is undeniable that new education reforms are needed to address the problems faced by the current education system, including the inadequacy and uneven provision of funds, the disparity in the school system which has resulted in parents having to bear a large financial burden on education, the dominance of private tuition classes, the unhealthy balance between life and education, the prevalence of an exam-centric education system, and the frustration and pressure felt by students. 

However, when we look at the incomplete PowerPoint presentation related to the above education reform, it is clear that instead of addressing those problems, there is a desire to cut education ‘per unit’ costs (shutting down of schools which have few students), further increasing the burden on parents, and narrowing down the curriculum to churn out skilled workers needed for the existing market. 

Finally, we emphasise that such a serious reform as education, that will affect the future of the children of our country, should not be carried out through such haphazard documents. First, the overall education reform proposal should be placed before the country, and you must provide sufficient time for public discussion and debate. 

This should not be implemented based on an arbitrary decision. We also wish to inform you that we are ready to intervene as a constructive stakeholder in such an open dialogue. Again, it is true that you have received a mandate from the people, but, remember that it is not a mandate from God.