Eight schools already closed down in NCP – CTU
More than 1,500 schools across Sri Lanka have been earmarked for closure under proposed education reforms, sparking outrage among the trade unions of teachers and principals. The move, which, unions claim, is being carried out at the behest of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), has drawn widespread opposition from educators, parents, and students.
According to the Teachers and Principals Trade Union Alliance, a total of 1,508 schools, including eight from the North Central Province, the home province of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, are set to be closed down. The closures reportedly target schools with fewer than 50 students each, as part of a government plan to “rationalise resources” in the education sector, according to President of the Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Priyantha Fernando.
Trade unions of teachers and principals have announced plans for a countrywide strike in the coming weeks in protest against both the proposed school closures and the government’s decision to extend school hours by 30 minutes with effect from 2026. Under the reform package, school hours would run until 2:00 p.m. for students in Grade 7 and above.
At a recent CTU conference in Anuradhapura, the representatives of teachers and principals accused the Ministry of Education of planning to implement “unresearched and arbitrary” reforms. “Extending school hours does not address the real problems in our education system,” said Joseph Stalin, General Secretary of the CTU.
“The ministry is pushing through changes without proper consultation or pilot testing. If this fails, it will be the children who suffer.”
Stalin alleged that key officials at the National Education Institute lacked the qualifications relevant to their positions, claiming that those leading the Mathematics and Science divisions held arts degrees. He also argued that the reforms were not new, but rather a revival of those proposed under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration.
The unions have issued a 07 November deadline for the government to withdraw or amend the decisions. Failing that, they plan to launch a one-day strike at the commence of the new school term in December, followed by larger coordinated trade union action early next year.
Meanwhile, Education Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa defended the reforms, insisting that they were essential to modernising Sri Lanka’s education system. “We have consulted all major stakeholders, and the time adjustment is a necessary component of the new module-based and credit-based learning system,” he said.
Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has stressed that there is no plan to close down schools.
Despite the ministry’s assurances, unions remain adamant. “If the government continues to ignore our concerns,” Stalin warned, “we will unite all teachers and principals for a massive countrywide strike.”
All trade unions in the education sector, except the ones affiliated to the JVP, have closed ranks to campaign against the proposed educational reforms.
by Saman Indirajith 