මෙරට හෙද සේවාව උපාධි මට්ටමට උසස් කිරීමේ අරමුණින් ජාතික හෙද විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයක් පිහිටුවීමේ රජයේ ප්‍රතිපත්ති යෝජනා යටතේ පිහිටුවන ලද විශේෂ කමිටුවේ තත්ත්ව සමාලෝචනය සඳහා වූ සාකච්ඡාවක් අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය ආචාර්ය හරිනි අමරසූරියගේ ප්‍රධානත්වයෙන් මාර්තු 23වැනි දා අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය කාර්‍යාලයේ දී පැවැත්විණි.

මෙහිදී හෙද විශ්වවිද්‍යාලය පිහිටුවීම කටයුතු වෙනුවෙන් කමිටුවේ මෙතෙක් ක්‍රියාවලිය පිළිබඳව අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරිය සොයා බැලූ අතර කමිටු සාමාජිකයන් වෙත පැවති ගැටලු සහ අදහස් කෙරෙහි අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරියගේ අවධානය යොමු විය.

විශ්වවිද්‍යාලයක් ස්ථාපනය කිරීම යනු දිගුකාලීන සහ සංකීර්ණ ක්‍රියාවලියක් බව අවධාරණය කළ අග්‍රාමාත්‍යවරිය, හදිසි තීරණයන්ගෙන් තොරව, උසස් අධ්‍යාපන ප්‍රමිතීන්ට අනුකූලව සහ දැනට විශ්වවිද්‍යාල පද්ධතිය තුළ පවතින අර්බුද සහ අභියෝග සලකා බලමින්, මෙම ව්‍යාපෘතිය ඉදිරියට ගෙන යාම වැදගත් බව පෙන්වා දෙන ලදී.

මෙම සාකච්ඡාව සඳහා විශ්වවිද්‍යාල ප්‍රතිපාදන කොමිෂන් සභාවේ උප සභාපති මහාචාර්ය කේ. එල් වසන්ත කුමාර, සමස්ත ලංකා හෙද සංගමයේ නියෝජිතයින් සහ සෞඛ්‍ය හා ජනමාධ්‍ය අමාත්‍යාංශයේ නිලධාරින් ද සහභාගී වූහ.

අග්‍රාමාත්‍ය මාධ්‍ය අංශය

I extend my wishes to all Muslim devotees in Sri Lanka and around the world who celebrate the festival of Eid-ul-Fitr, marking the completion of a month of devoted fasting and spiritual discipline.

The season of Ramadan is not merely about fasting; it is a time to nurture the human values of patience, sacrifice, and empathy towards others. It is also important, especially today, that these values are not confined to personal life alone but are applied for the betterment of the nation.

The diversity within our country is a strength. The message of brotherhood and coexistence taught by Ramadan inspires us, as Sri Lankans, to stand united under one flag. Sustainable peace and prosperity in our country depend on strengthening religious and cultural bonds while fostering mutual trust and respect among all communities.

As we celebrate Ramadan in a spirit of unity, we must also turn our attention to those suffering due to conflicts around the world. In particular, we express our deepest concern over the extremely difficult and painful circumstances faced by people, including Muslim communities, amidst the unfortunate conflicts in the Middle East. At a time when human rights and humanitarian values are under threat, it is both the responsibility and the collective hope of the global community to provide urgent relief to those affected by the horrors of war, and to work towards establishing peace and stability in those regions.

Amidst these global challenges, standing together and supporting one another in a spirit of brotherhood forms a strong foundation for social stability. The spiritual discipline embodied in Ramadan will undoubtedly be a great source of strength for all of us as we strive to overcome present challenges and move forward as a prosperous nation.

On this noble day, which highlights social solidarity through acts of giving (Zakat), everyone should determine in building a compassionate and cooperative Sri Lanka. May this Ramadan festival mark the beginning of a life filled with happiness, peace, and prosperity for all.

Wishing you a joyful Eid-ul-Fitr!

Dr. Harini Amarasuriya
Prime Minister
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
21st of March 2026

The Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated in Parliament on March 19 that the government aims to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of essential services, public services, and industries even during the current crisis. She also called on the opposition to support fulfilling the promises made to the public welfare.

Responding to a question raised by the Member of Parliament V. Radhakrishnan, the Prime Minister pointed out that there are numerous issues within the education sector of the estate community, with teacher shortages being a significant concern. She noted that over 23,000 teachers have been recruited to fill these vacancies in accordance with a court determination. She further stated that these issues are being raised at district-level discussions of the Ministry of Education and that steps are being taken to provide prompt solutions.

The Prime Minister further stated:

It is essential to focus on the current situation of the country and the challenges we face as a nation. After enduring a global pandemic, followed by an economic crisis and then a political crisis, the country had just begun to recover when the present situation emerged. At such a time, the opposition must deeply reflect on their responsibility. Unfortunately, opposition members are involved in futile attempts to topple the government with the aim of gaining power. They continue to create unnecessary fear among the public by fabricating weaknesses in governance and diplomacy.

Instead of presenting policies and gaining public trust through the democratic electoral system, the opposition appears intent on seizing power by any means, even if it leads the country toward destruction. The very groups that contributed to the country’s bankruptcy and economic instability are now conspiring to overthrow a democratically elected government, in order to evade allegations and investigations related to their past administrations.

Rather than helping to control the situation, the opposition seems intent on exacerbating the crisis. At times, due to their narrow political agendas, statements are made that even harm diplomatic relations.

The Prime Minister further emphasized that if the opposition seeks power, it should do so through democratic means by gaining the confidence of the people in elections. She stated that the current fuel crisis should not be misrepresented as a failure of the government, noting that it is a result of the global war situation. She added that within a short period of about twenty days since the onset of conflicts in the Middle East, the government has taken several correct decisions, resulting in Sri Lanka having one of the lowest fuel price revisions in South Asia.

Further commenting, the Prime Minister stated:

It is true that there may be some reduction in fuel supply in the future. Therefore, a QR code system was introduced to manage fuel consumption. We are continuing to streamline this system to minimize irregularities. Even in the face of this crisis, our objective is to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of essential services, public services, and industries. We also call upon the opposition to support the fulfillment of the promises made for the welfare of the people.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Steps have been taken to monitor the progress of the new education reform process introduced for Grade one.

It was emphasized at the Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Education Reforms that actions are taken to initiate educational reforms for Grade 6 in 2027, and that steps have been taken to monitor the progress of the new education reform process of Grade one.

The Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Education Reforms gathered on the 17 th of March at Parliament under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.

During the meeting, discussions were held on the current progress of the new education reform process and the way forward.

During the meeting, the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa stated that monitoring of the progress of the new education reform process introduced for Grade 1 in 2026 will be carried out in the future. He further noted that activity-based textbooks for the second and third school terms of Grade 1 are currently being prepared for printing, and that practical activity books for the second term are planned to be distributed to students after the school vacation in April.

Officials also emphasized that under the new education reforms, teacher training and training of trainers are currently being carried out, and that all modules relevant to Grade 6 are being thoroughly reviewed by specialized committees.

A special committee, with the participation of international experts, has been appointed to obtain recommendations on evaluation and assessment. It was also revealed that these experts are expected to visit Sri Lanka in the near future. Furthermore, following the instructions of the President, a Cabinet paper has been submitted to establish a National Steering Committee on Education, and steps will be taken to appoint district- and divisional-level steering committees in due course.

The meeting was attended by the Members of both the Government and the Opposition, along with officials from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the government’s objective is to ensure the environment for the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to function as an independent body, without influence from anyone, including Members of Parliament and Ministers.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in the debate on the interim resolution concerning the determination of salaries and service conditions of the officers and employees of the Commission under the Anti-Corruption Act.

The Prime Minister stated:

Honourable Speaker, I consider the proposal presented today on determining the remuneration and service conditions of the officers and employees of the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption to be highly important. Although the Anti-Corruption Act was passed in 2023, we only began to truly feel the presence of an active Commission from 2025.

Since then, we have had to experience a number of challenges in operationalizing the Commission. In particular, there were several obstacles, including limitations in recruiting officers, which hindered the Commission from functioning as required. It was necessary to establish several practical conditions, such as granting the Commission the freedom to determine allowances for its staff, to formulate the rules and regulations required for its operations, to recruit personnel, and to submit budget estimates relevant to its annual plans. At the time the new Director General assumed duties, there were over 4,000 investigation files within the Commission where investigations had been completed but cases had not yet been filed. Moreover, there were only about 31 legal officers.

Follow the adoption of this proposal, the Commission will be granted the authority to recruit officers, determine necessary allowances, and make independent decisions regarding financial matters. This will enable the Commission to effectively fulfill its intended mandate. This proposal plays a significant role in building a new political culture in our country, one that is anti-corruption and committed to a transparent public service that is free from bribery.

Further commenting, the Prime Minister also addressed the country’s response to the ongoing global energy crisis.

In the current global context, our economy and energy sector are facing multiple challenges. These conditions are constantly evolving and difficult to predict. However, it is our responsibility as a government to recognize these changes and manage their impact on our economy.

Following that, the Cabinet has decided yesterday to appoint four special committees. Accordingly, one committee will focus on ensuring the uninterrupted provision of essential services to the public; while other will make decisions on maintaining public services through energy management within the public sector; a third will work with the Procurement Commission to identify new methods of energy procurement in addition to existing mechanisms; and a fourth will examine the social impacts arising from this situation, including its effects on vulnerable groups, and recommend fair solutions, relief measures, and welfare services.

This is a situation that we, as a country, must face collectively. The public service, the private sector, the political leadership regardless of party differences and the people of our country must come together to overcome this, just as we have faced previous challenges. We are confident that, we will be able to successfully face this situation through proper leadership and management, and by making timely decisions.

Prime Minister’s Media Division

Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the freedom had long been limited to only a privileged segment of society, and that the government’s objective is to create opportunities for all citizens to equally experience and enjoy that freedom.

The Prime Minister made these remarks on the 15th of March while opening the multi-purpose development project associated with the Angunakolapelessa Tank, developed under the “Pohosath Gamak” programme of the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment for public.

In parallel with the multi-purpose development project carried out associating the Angunakolapelessa Leisure Island, a boating facility and the Leisure Island cafeteria were also officially opened.

Addressing the gathering further, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:

The multi-purpose development project associated with the Angunakolapelessa Tank has received voluntary support from the community for more than 700 days. It is extremely significant in this regard. With the funding from the Ministry of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment, the Angunakolapelessa Pradeshiya Sabha, together with divisional councils, public safety committees, youth societies, trade associations, and many others in the community, was able to transform this site into a major development project within a remarkably short period of time.

This project serves as a powerful example of what can be achieved when people unite collectively for a noble purpose. Developing a country is not a task that the government alone can accomplish.

When intellectuals, religious leaders, youth, entrepreneurs, and the public come together with strong and responsible leadership, we can build a nation so resilient that no hostile force will be able to weaken it.

People in rural communities who live demanding and hardworking lives also deserve to enjoy freedom. For a long time, freedom was limited to only a privileged segment of society. As a government committed to fostering a dignified cultural life for all citizens, it is important to create more spaces like this where people can relax, walk, enjoy themselves, and spend time with peace of mind.

The occasion was graced by the presence of the members of the Maha Sangha, and attended by the Minister of Rural Development, Social Security and Community Empowerment Upali Pannilage, other ministers and parliamentarians, government officials, and local residents.

Prime Minister’s Media Division