The 2025 budget of the current government has assigned the highest amount for education in history.

The Ministry of Education aims to intervene in the educational reforms proposed through five key pillars: Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarrasuriya

The Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, declared that the 2025 budget of the current government has assigned the greatest amount in the history of education and the Ministry of Education has introduced a plan of five pillars for the proposed educational reforms.

The Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, made these comments in Parliament on March 10 during the budget debate on the allocation of expenses for the Ministry of Education.
Today, we are presented by fourteen members who entered Parliament through the university system. However, I would like to take a moment to remember a near our colleague, Dr. Janaki Jayawardena, who tragically died in a traffic accident just a few days ago. While my main reason to mention Dr. Jayawardena at the beginning of this speech is to express my deepest condolences, I would take this time to appreciate his exemplary figure as a model of dedication, integrity and service to which we can all admire how Janaki embodied that ideal. Her students had immense love and respect for her. Beyond that, she was an exceptional colleague who worked hard and inspired us a lot. Losing such university academics is a significant loss for the nation. That is why the speech begins in her memory.

The protest directed by the Federation of University Teachers Associations during 2011-2012 marked a importance point of importance. He was able to build the confidence that leadership can begin in the social movement beyond addressing professional demands.

The protest that was held during 2011-2012 was not only a protest maintained by the unions, but also worried about addressing education. This protest was collectively supported by the unions and the community that felt a deep empathy towards the cause of education and brought together other unions, teachers unions, civil society and worried citizens and that resonated a valuable message that together we can advocate and protest to achieve a common cause. Dr. Janaki Jayawardena was one of the key figures directed by this movement. She directed this movement in silence, without looking for the center of attention. However, the fight would not have succeeded without it. You can remember that Galle’s five -day march to Colombo was launched during this movement. University academics participated in the use of black t -shirts and oranges marked with ‘6%’. We didn’t even have enough funds to print these shirts. Dr. Janaki Jayawardena sold a piece of his land to find funds for that purpose. That was the type of person who was, someone who is willing to sacrifice anything for what he believed, someone who was not afraid to lead. His absence feels deeply at a time like this. We need such potential clients.

What universities and society are needed at the time how this is an exceptional role that sees beyond their professional identities, which assume the responsibility of their students, their field and their community, and that provide leadership and commitment. Her absence regretted us a lot and extend my deepest condolence to her family, students, colleagues and the many friends who supported her. The main reason to mention Dr. Jayawardena at the beginning of this speech was not to cry for her absence, but to commemorate her exemplary figure as a dedication model.
The highest amount assigned for education in history has been established in this year’s budget by the current government. A total of 619 billion LKR has been assigned during the next eight months of period with the allocation of 21 billion LKR designated specifically for capital spending and marks the highest amount assigned for educational infrastructure in recent history.
There is also a clear system to use these funds. Without adequate reforms for education, the social transformation we imagine cannot be achieved. Only through educational reform we can achieve social, political and economic transformations. Therefore, the 2025 budget has submitted careful consideration together with strategic planning for educational reforms.

Educational reforms are expected to be achieved through five key pillars by the Ministry of Education. The first pillar focuses on the modernization of the curriculum. A new curriculum implies updating the existing curricula and designing an educational system that foster the human resources necessary for social transformation, and LKR 250 million have been assigned for this purpose is expected. In addition, an additional 160 million LKR for related projects has been assigned.

Educational reforms have been discussed in the past, but despite several efforts, they have not been effectively implemented for years. The main reason addresses that changes in the curriculum are not enough. That is why we have identified five key pillars in our educational reforms. The curriculum is only one of them, and apart from that, the implementation of the human resources necessary for educational reforms has also focused on the 2025 budget. It focuses on improving the capacity of teachers, directors, educators and education administrators and the second Pilar addresses. The budget has assigned an amount of LKR 1.64 billion, which is the highest amount assigned in history to develop the capacity and I am pleased that we could do it.

The teachers are generally designated to overcome the picture of the teachers who
They are currently occupied in the teaching service or in related fields, together with a special approach, it was attracted by training teachers in training colleges and universities.

Actually, the current state of our national education universities is extremely worrying. Recently I visited the Education schools in Polonnaruwa and Jaffna. Students, who are expected to become teachers in the future, do not have adequate facilities. They lack adequate accommodation, water and even basic needs. While we discuss smart classrooms in schools, teachers who are supposed to carry out these lessons are learning on the boards in disadvantaged conditions. They lack essential electricity and infrastructure. That is why special attention was attracted to this matter. For years, infrastructure projects have been implemented in schools. Since 2016, under the “closest school is the best school program” initiated by the previous government, many initiatives have been carried out. However, even today, some of the unfinished and insecure buildings are found in schools. Many schools have impressive doors, fences and signs, but once they entered, students do not have adequate facilities. Some of the schools are not processed by clean drinking water, including basic sanitation facilities. Therefore, an amount of 11,000 billion LKR has been assigned to complete these unfinished school projects, with a special approach to sanitation facilities.

As of this year, we are committed to ensuring that no Sri Lanka child has to attend a school without adequate sanitation facilities. We have also assigned LKR 11,126 billion through the Ministry of Line and LKR 14,896 billion through the provincial councils to address these problems in patrimonial schools. It is approached by the third pillar.

The fourth Pilar is to ensure that students receive education and undergo adequate evaluation. The responsibility of the evaluation lies in the exam department, which has faced significant challenges over the years. When I entered Parliament for the first time, I asked about the capital spending assigned to the exam department. It was significantly low. This year, we have assigned LKR 12.36 billion to strengthen the evaluation process and improve the capacity within the exam department.

The biggest challenge facing the educational system is the mental pressure that pressed children due to the focus focused on the exam. To overcome this, we must strengthen the institutions that are mainly responsible for the evaluation.

According to the fifth pillar, education cannot only be restricted to the responsibility of the ministry, children, teachers or schools alone. It should be a transformation within society as a whole. A social discussion is essential to make this a reality. It is at times like this that I remember Dr. Janaki Jayawardena. Social activists are needed to establish this discussion and the discussion has already been included in the government map of the government. In addition, funds have been assigned specifically for the well -being of children.

Specifically, I would like to comment on higher education. We have established a higher priority over the quality of higher education. Simply establishing universities is not enough; Creating a university is not just about establishing a board. We have numerous examples of universities, faculties and programs that began mainly due to political reasons, with little consideration the quality of education. In addition, the benefits for students or the impact on their education were never addressed. That is why we are paying special attention to improving the quality of higher education.

Similarly, students’ well -being is also a priority. Many young people have lost confidence in their education and future. This student community deserves to be treated with respect. While the student population has grown, however, the facilities they deserve have never been addressed. Yesterday I was in protect and visited a local institution. I was really surprised. This institution, which has made a significant contribution to the field of higher education since 1955, had students who lived in deplorable conditions. There are cables used as fences, without adequate ceilings, without lights and rats everywhere. I was surprised when I saw the conditions under which these children are expected to cook and eat. They only have one meal a day, and it is only at night they can eat. There is an agricultural center, but I only saw two workers there. This is the institution that was established to develop human resources for the agricultural sector in southern Asia in 1955. However, none of this has been addressed. Similarly, I visited the German technological institution in Kilinochchi, where there are no shelters for students. They use improvised offices with bathrooms such as classrooms. Without these basic facilities, how can students feel any sense of education, dignity or pride? We have assigned LKR 36,841 million for higher education infrastructure. We are asking all higher education institutions to prioritize the necessary facilities for students. We need to make sure to understand how they are living, how they eat and how they are learning.

Assignments for vocational education have been made. Our goal is to transform vocational education into a modern and relevant field that aligns with the needs of today’s world. This will help us create a qualified workforce that meets the demands of the future labor market. In doing so, we will develop and create educational fields that provide value and skills for young people, offering real professional career.

We urge everyone to investigate this problem without any part or division. This is a crucial sector that must be addressed for the future of our country. Through this, we can shape our nation and our children to be fit for the world. It is not just to shape minds, but to create individuals with humanity, a refined and complete society. To achieve this, we must transform our educational system. It must be achieved through the participation of humans. This transformation is something that we are committed to presenting.