Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya said schools must be “the safest and most loving place for every child” in addition to delivering a quality education, speaking at the handover of a new classroom block at Samodaya Vidyalaya in Kurunegala on Friday.
“A school should not only be a place where children gain knowledge. It must also be the safest and most loving place for every child,” Amarasuriya said. She noted that children spend a significant portion of their lives at school and stressed that school communities should be “built on care, compassion and affection.”
The three-storey building, which houses both classrooms and an auditorium, was completed in seven months at a cost of Rs. 41 million. The Prime Minister commended those involved in the project for the speed of delivery and said the new facilities would directly support student learning. She planted a Na sapling to mark the occasion.
“The Government’s vision for education is to provide children with the very best. That does not mean buildings alone. The quality and content of education must also meet the highest standards,” Amarasuriya said.
Deputy Minister Namal Karunaratne, MPs M.K.S. Aslam and Ashoka Gunasekara, Attorney-at-Law Sarath Karunayake, and Ven. Kithulgolle Gnanarathana Thero were among those present.
The remarks come as Amarasuriya, who also serves as Minister of Education, continues to push a wider reform agenda covering preschool education from 2027, a new Grade 6 curriculum from January 2027 and higher-education changes including teacher recruitment. Her emphasis on school safety also resonates with growing scrutiny of conditions inside Sri Lankan classrooms, including more than 11,400 corporal-punishment complaints recorded in 2026.
Source: Schools must provide love and safety, not just education – Prime Minister — Newswire.
