The Ministry of Education has released a guideline package for implementing the Grade 1 and Grade 6 curriculum reforms that will come into effect in all schools nationwide starting from 2026. 

 

The Ministry also announced that related circulars and instructions will be issued soon.

 

Under these reforms, primary education will be divided into three main stages:

• Stage 1: Grades 1 and 2

• Stage 2: Grades 3 and 4

• Stage 3: Grade 5

 

The curriculum for Grades 1–5 covers nine general learning areas: Mother Tongue, English Language, Second National Language, Mathematics, Religious and Moral Education, Elementary Science and Environmental Activities, Integrated Aesthetic Education, Health and Physical Education, and Co-curricular Activities.

 

There will be no change in school hours for Grades 1–4, but school hours for Grade 5 will be from 7:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. Instead of traditional textbooks, activity-based workbooks designed by the National Institute of Education will be provided to Grade 1 students.

 

Junior Secondary Education (Grades 6–9) will also be implemented under the new system, with the new Grade 6 curriculum scheduled to begin next year. Students in these grades must study 14 compulsory subjects, while participation in sports and clubs will be made mandatory for all.

 

Teaching will follow a modular system, with the number of modules per term determined according to each subject. Three new subjects will be introduced from Grade 6: Information and Communication Technology, Technology for Life and Entrepreneurship, and Financial Literacy.

 

Additionally, a uniform preschool curriculum framework will be introduced from 2027, according to Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Training Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

 

She also stated that the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework has been completed and that training-of-trainers programs for about 19,000 preschool teachers will commence on 25 November. The Prime Minister reaffirmed that no schools will be closed under these reforms and that the government’s policy is to develop schools through consolidation.