The government plans to make 30,000 new teacher appointments and recruit more than 120,000 people into the public service during 2026, in one of the year’s largest state hiring drives.
The teacher appointments are aimed at addressing long-standing shortages in schools across the country, particularly in rural areas where vacancies have affected the delivery of the national curriculum. The broader recruitment covers a range of public service positions beyond the education sector.
The plans come as the administration seeks to balance public expectations for expanded state employment against the fiscal discipline required under Sri Lanka’s economic recovery programme. Public sector wages are a significant component of government spending, and hiring decisions are watched closely by both unions and lenders.
Officials have framed the recruitment as necessary to restore service capacity in schools, hospitals and administrative offices that have operated with reduced staff in recent years. The teacher intake, in particular, has been a recurring demand from education unions.
Details on the timeline, selection process and distribution of the new positions across districts and departments are expected to follow as recruitment proceeds through the year.
