Sri Lanka’s education reforms will place greater emphasis on inclusive education so that no child is left behind, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Madura Seneviratne said on Tuesday.

He was speaking at the 2026 Milad-un-Nabi celebrations organised by the Muslim School Development Branch of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, where Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya — who also holds the education portfolio — set out the broader case for the reform programme.

Seneviratne said the reforms give greater attention to inclusive education and to other measures aimed at securing equal educational rights for all children, and that the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad were particularly relevant at a time when the education sector is undergoing a major transformation.

Reforms go beyond curricula, PM says

Amarasuriya said education is the most powerful tool for building public understanding of mutual respect and equality, and that the reforms are intended to change teaching and learning methods rather than only introduce new curricula.

“Our vision is to build a Sri Lanka where every citizen enjoys equal respect, equal opportunities and equal access to public services,” she said.

She said Sri Lanka is a country of more than 21.7 million people representing different ethnicities, languages, cultures and religions, and that this diversity should be treated as one of its greatest strengths. Free education, she said, has allowed children to pursue higher education regardless of family background, and schools should give students the chance to interact with one another and learn about both their own culture and those of other communities.

“Through this, our aim is to instill in students the self-confidence necessary to have a positive impact on society in practice,” she said, describing the creation of citizens who can live together in harmony and dignity as a fundamental objective of the reform process.

Amarasuriya said the teachings and example of the Prophet Muhammad remain particularly relevant in a world facing serious political, economic and humanitarian challenges.

Context

The event is a ministry-organised celebration held separately from the 42nd National Milad-un-Nabi celebration, which took place on August 26 at Al-Hilal College in Periyamulla, Negombo, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s patronage.

Also attending were Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa, Commissioner General of Examinations Indika Kumari Liyanage, Dr. S. M. Tamim, senior lecturer in Arabic and Islamic Civilization at the University of Peradeniya, Major N. T. Nasumutdeen, ministry officials, principals, teachers and students.

Neither speaker gave a timetable for the reforms or specified which measures fall under the inclusive education component.