The government is working to give every secondary school in the country digital connectivity by the end of 2026, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said, alongside promoting the safe use of digital technology by children.
She was speaking at the 2026 World Children’s Day celebration at the S. de S. Jayasinghe Stadium in Dehiwala, the Daily Mirror reported.
The year-end deadline is the substantive content of the announcement. It commits the government to a date roughly three months out for a programme — connectivity in secondary schools nationwide — that has been described in general terms for most of the year.
What else she set out
- Curriculum. A new curriculum is scheduled for Grades 2 and 6 in 2027.
- Infrastructure. School infrastructure and digital facilities are being developed “systematically”, she said.
- School transport. The government is working with the Ministry of Transport to introduce minimum safety standards, laws, regulations and guidelines for school transport services.
- Health and nutrition. She stressed children’s health, food security, healthcare and school meals, and the need to promote school sports.
“Children should be given the opportunity to play freely. It is our responsibility to create an environment with the necessary infrastructure and safety for them to do so,” she said.
Amarasuriya said every child in the country mattered to the government and that its actions were aimed at their well-being, and that World Children’s Day should be treated not as a single-day event but as a reminder of a year-round responsibility to create a safe environment for children.
The event
The celebration was organised jointly by the Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council and the Independent Television Network (ITN) under the theme “Mahangu Sampatha – Daruwan Surakimu”.
Those attending included Western Province Governor Hanif Yusoof, MP Samanmali Gunasinghe, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Municipal Council Mayor K. D. Parakum Shantha, the Municipal Commissioner, children and parents.
A note on the date: the Daily Mirror’s copy places the event on “Friday (3)”. 3 October 2026 was a Saturday. The day-of-month is the figure the paper gives in parentheses, and we report the event as having taken place on 3 October.
Not reported
The report does not say how many secondary schools are still without connectivity, what the programme costs, who is delivering it, or what counts as “connectivity” for the purposes of the year-end target. No timetable is given for the school transport standards.
Context
The connectivity pledge sits alongside a broader digitisation push. Deputy Minister of Education Dr. Madhura Seneviratne said in late September that digital technology would be built into teaching, school administration and the teacher transfer mechanism, with student-safety policies to follow and 169 primary schools selected for development in 2026.
The Dehiwala event was one of several Children’s Day observances this week; Sirasa TV held a separate celebration at Viharamahadevi Park in Colombo on the same day.