Prime Minister Must Accept Responsibility and Resign – Thalatha Atukorale
14-Jan-2026.
The erroneous inclusion found in the Grade 6 textbook could not have occurred accidentally and must have been done deliberately.
Therefore, we are calling for the Prime Minister to resign from the post of Minister of Education, stated United National Party General Secretary Thalatha Atukorale.
She made these remarks while addressing a media briefing held on January 12 at the former President’s political office in Colombo.
She said mistakes cannot occur in the education process and that the current error is a serious matter. It cannot be claimed that this mistake occurred accidentally and must have been deliberate.
She explained that the preparation of textbooks involves multiple institutions, including the Education Commission, the National Institute of Education, the Ministry of Education, and expert committees appointed by the Prime Minister.
Therefore, collective responsibility applies.
She further recalled that during education reforms in the 1980s, a White Paper was prepared and public consultations were held, allowing parents and any interested parties to express their views. She noted that the current rulers strongly opposed such processes at that time but have now failed to consult anyone regarding their own reforms.
She questioned whether even the temporarily stepped-down Director of the National Institute of Education is aware of the changes that were made.
She added that if the current rulers were in the opposition today, they would have mobilised university students, caused bloodshed, and turned this into a movement to overthrow the government. However, because the opposition has chosen democratic means, the government continues to cling to this issue.
She concluded by stating that if the Prime Minister claims to be a capable Education Minister, she must accept responsibility for this mistake and resign, as an education minister who is unaware of such a major error cannot effectively run the ministry.
