Sri Lanka PM calls for end to competitive education model, urges collaborative learning

Sri Lanka Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said that education is a process of sharing collective knowledge and has the power to bring people together politically, socially, and economically.

She made these remarks yesterday (November 18) while addressing a regional conference held at the Galle Face Hotel in Colombo.

The conference aims to strengthen cooperation among countries in Asia, the Middle East, and the Pacific region on the role of education in the Green Transition. It will take place from November 18 to 20, 2025.

The event is linked to the Erasmus+ Programme, funded by the European Union, which is one of the world’s leading initiatives for international cooperation in education, training, youth, and sports. The programme supports mobility between countries, intercultural exchange, capacity building, and policy development. It also offers opportunities for higher education partnerships, vocational training, youth development, and institutional cooperation in Sri Lanka.

Expressing her views, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said Sri Lanka has a high literacy rate due to the legacy of its post-colonial education system. However, she noted that education today focuses too much on individual success, making the system highly competitive and examination-oriented.

She said education should not be aimed only at personal achievement. Instead, the country must move away from this model and return to the true purpose of education: sharing collective knowledge and promoting transformative learning.

The Prime Minister highlighted that the transformative power of education is often forgotten. She said education can unite people politically, socially, and economically, and must become a shared space built on mutual expectations and mutual success.

She further said upcoming education reforms will prioritise collaborative learning, responsibility towards one another, and responsibility towards the world and the environment, especially considering today’s global challenges.

Commenting on the spread of unscientific methods and misinformation, she stressed that the value of proper education has become even more important. She added that pressures within the university system can also be addressed through this transformation.

Dr. Amarasuriya emphasised the importance of dialogue, exchange, and discussion in promoting transformative education. She said Sri Lanka must work to change its education system from a cage of competition into a free space for collaboration and responsible knowledge-sharing.

The event was attended by the Ambassador of the European Union to Sri Lanka, Carmen Moreno, Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Nalaka Kaluwewa, as well as regional representatives and government officials.