Prime Minister and Minister of Education Harini Amarasuriya has directed that only government-approved programmes should be allowed to operate within schools, ruling out any role for outside groups whose activities have not been formally endorsed.
“Programs proposed by various organizations and groups that do not have government approval should not, under any circumstances, be allowed to operate within schools,” she said, in remarks reported by Newswire. The Prime Minister made the comments while participating in a discussion with North Central Province education authorities at the Provincial Council premises in Anuradhapura on Wednesday.
“As a government, we are making a very large commitment to provide children with quality education. Therefore, decisions must be made based on the belief that children should be given the best,” she said.
The meeting reviewed education development programmes in the province, including measures aligned to the Grade 5 scholarship examination scheduled for August 9, as well as Ordinary Level and Advanced Level examination targets, school development projects and subject-related programmes implemented at the zonal level. Progress on rebuilding schools damaged by Cyclone Ditwah was also discussed, continuing the recovery thread covered in the June 9 Temple Trees plantation-schools meeting.
Provincial education officials presented academic, welfare and administrative issues for the Prime Minister’s attention. She said the quality of education was determined not only by examination results but also by attention to subject-related activities, framing the policy emphasis as one of holistic learning rather than narrow exam preparation.
The directive on external programmes is the first explicit public statement from the Education Ministry this cycle on third-party access to school grounds and complements the E-thaksalawa digital-education rollout the PM launched in early June as the Ministry tightens its grip on what enters classrooms.
