Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has called for Sri Lanka’s education and assessment systems to be modernised, with greater weight given to skills, creativity, experiential learning and students’ overall development.
Reforming the assessment system is a central part of the government’s ongoing education reforms, she said, aimed at reducing excessive dependence on examinations and promoting activity-based and experiential learning. The remarks were reported by Ada Derana, citing a statement from the Office of the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister was speaking at a public lecture in Colombo titled “250 Years of Educational Excellence: Lessons from a Sri Lankan American,” delivered by Fulbright Specialist Dr. Priyanvada Abeywickrama.
Not a break with what works
Amarasuriya said the reforms would not undermine the strengths of the existing system, which she noted has produced generations of academically successful students, but would instead modernise it for current and future needs.
She also pointed to the need to improve digital literacy among teachers, principals and parents, and said academic and vocational education pathways should receive equal recognition — a theme that runs alongside the government’s Rs. 42 billion vocational education allocation.
International expertise and collaboration would play an important role in implementing the proposed reforms, she said, thanking Dr. Abeywickrama for a month-long contribution to the process.
The event was organised by the United States–Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission, a bi-national body that has run academic, cultural and professional exchanges between the two countries since 1952.
The Prime Minister, who also holds the education portfolio, has previously pressed for changes to university admissions and higher education structures. The Prime Minister’s Office said she reaffirmed the government’s commitment to working with local and international experts on a more inclusive and future-ready system.
