The politicized education system should be freed and restoring public trust in education is a prime responsibility of our government” – New  Prime Minister

“Building confidence in education is a prime responsibility of our government. The education system should be reformed so that it is possible to create a virtuous society, not just for work. The economic level of the family should not be an obstacle for children to get quality education. Our policy states that 6% of the gross national product should be allocated for education.” stated the new Prime Minister in Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

Addressing a special workshop after 05 years was held on Saturday, 28 September, at Ananda Vidyalaya, Colombo with the participation of the principals of the 396 national schools across the island Prime Minister pointed out.

Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya, who is also the Education Minister, said children no longer believe in the importance of education nor do they feel as committed to the education system as perhaps a generation ago.

Addressing a workshop held for school principals at the Ananda College in Colombo on the 28th of September, she pointed out that there are several issues in the current education system and that one of the main problems is that the trust in the education system has “broken”.

“As in many other areas of our society, people no longer trust that this system will work for them.”

“We need to change this. We need to establish trust in the system again. We need to make sure that children feel excited about their education. That parents are able to handover their children to the education system and have the faith that the education system will deliver.”

“So, for all these reasons we believe establishing that trust in the education system is critical. We also know that there are huge disparities, and inequalities in the education system,” she added.

Addressing the school principals present, she said they belong to a particularly privileged section within the country’s school system – the elite schools.

“But in our thinking, there shouldn’t be a division within the school system where some children go to good schools or popular schools as they are generally known and then there can’t be another category that is known as ‘unpopular schools’, the PM said”

“That’s not an acceptable situation. So, our intention is to make sure that all schools deliver the best for all children. And we really hope that all of you would be able to be a part of this journey and work with us in making sure that the education system in Sri Lanka recovers its lost glory.”

She further said: “Our education system was something that was regarded as an example by the rest of the world. We have delivered on our education system previously, but sadly in the last several decades, we have not fulfilled that promise of our education system. We need to recover it and we need to improve on what we have.”

“We recognize that this problem has not been created by you or by anyone else. The responsibility lies with firmly with successive political leaderships. But in the coming years we hope to continue to have this discussion with you about the policy directions and reforms that we have planned for education and I invite you all to work with us to bring our country and our education system to the place that it really deserves.”

The Prime Minister also focused on the family economy situation at present and said, “The family’s economic level should not be an obstacle for children to get quality education. The amount that parents have to spend on their children’s education has increased more and more. This is not at all acceptable in a country with free education. Even though there is free education, parents have to spend a lot of money for education. The main thing that we expect from free education is not happening. In other words, the fact that one’s own income should not be a factor in children’s education has been lost.”

“Thousands of intellectuals were born in this country through free education. Many people were able to reach the highest places in the world. But once again, money has become a factor in getting quality education. So we need to change the disparities between schools. Parents should be freed from the heavy burden of money spent on their children’s education.”

“Once the child is sent to school for education, parents should minimize interference. They should be freed. Special attention is given to providing facilities and necessary training to the educational administration, principals, and teachers who contribute to these goals.”

Finally, the PM said that, although the world’s best education structure is introduced here, it has to work through you. “One of our main goals is to remove obstacles that cannot be fulfilled. This is a collective journey. One party and one government cannot do it alone. I expect your support for that.” She concluded her speech.

END.