Minister of Education Susil Premajayantha has unveiled the government’s plan to transform 1,250 of the country’s top schools into “smart schools” which enables a centralized management of school proceedings from the Ministry of Education (MOE) at once.

He revealed that this initiative will be backed by a USD 20 million aid package from China.

Minister Premajayantha made these remarks during an event held at Sirimavo Bandaranaike Vidyalaya in Colombo, where all classrooms from grades 1 to 5 were upgraded to smart classrooms.

Premajayantha also highlighted the progress of the new education system, set to be implemented next year for grades 1-6 and 6-10 is nearing completion. He confirmed that the learning modules have been finalized, and the text books are expected to go to the print within the next two weeks.

Further, the minister said that the challenge of training teachers as well as the necessary trainers should be overcome and if this change is not made, future students leaving the school in ten years might struggle to meet upcoming challenges.

In addition to the smart school initiative, Minister Premajayantha announced plans to consolidate the National Colleges of Education (NCEs) into a single university. From 2028 onwards, only individuals with Bachelor of Education degrees will be eligible for teaching positions, while diploma holders will no longer be recruited, according to the Minister.

He further emphasized the importance for professionals, including teachers and doctors, to continually update their knowledge in line with rapidly evolving fields.