Education Reforms Limited to Presentations Alone – Opposition Leader
24-Jan-2026.
Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa has stated that while policy formulation under established practice involves structured consultations leading to final decisions, the government’s education reform process has been limited to presentations alone, resulting in the current crisis.
He made these remarks during the adjournment debate in Parliament on 22 January 2026 concerning the new education restructuring proposals.
Addressing Parliament further, Premadasa noted that under the Westminster system, policy formulation traditionally involves the presentation of Green Papers and White Papers to facilitate proper discussion before final decisions are made. However, he said that the current government has failed to present any such documents, instead relying solely on presentations.
As a result, he said, the education reform initiative has entered a state of crisis.
Premadasa stated that the education policy proposed by the Samagi Jana Balawegaya includes systems suited to the modern world, but emphasized that such reforms must be implemented without deficiencies in physical and human resources. He criticized the government for attempting to introduce reforms amid severe resource shortages.
He acknowledged that Sri Lanka’s education system has major shortcomings but stated that the government’s reform proposals offer no solutions to these deficiencies.
While clarifying that the opposition does not oppose education reform in principle, he said they objected only to the inclusion of obscene website links, which the government accepted without taking corrective action and instead blamed the opposition for obstructing reforms.
He argued that the President’s decision to postpone education reforms for Grade 6 to next year itself demonstrates acknowledgment of flaws in the Prime Minister’s reform proposals. He questioned how reforms could be implemented without providing schools with adequate resources.
Premadasa stated that there is no need for a public debate and challenged the government to respond to the specific errors highlighted by the opposition, reiterating that their objection was limited solely to the inclusion of obscene content.
