Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya yesterday (25) denied as baseless claims that the government had promised to allocate 6% of GDP to the education sector in its first year in office.
Responding to questions in Parliament, the Prime Minister said no such commitment had been made, emphasising that the government’s priority was to reform education policy rather than rely solely on increased funding.
“We never said we would give 6% in the first year,” the PM told the House. “Some members here have been with us since 2012, calling for education reforms. Even then, we never said 6% of GDP should be given at once.”
Amarasuriya stressed that structural issues in the education system could not be resolved merely through higher budgetary allocations without parallel policy changes.
She noted that the government had earmarked its highest allocation for education in 2026, Rs. 7.04 million, and that this year’s allocation stands at 2.04%.
The Prime Minister’s clarification came in response to MPs questioning her participation, as a university teacher, in the 2012 protests calling for 6% of GDP to be invested in education.