All schools within the Colombo Zone and suburbs as well as the schools located in the main cities of other provinces will remain closed next week (from June 20 - 24), the Ministry of Education says.

In a press release, the ministry said all provincial education officials are given permission to continue in-person lessons at schools, where the students, teachers, and principals are not affected by transportation issues.

Even if in-person lessons are delivered, the schools can conduct online lessons for students who are unable to come to school.

Earlier today, the Education Ministry announced that all schools within the limits of the Colombo city will be closed next week in view of the issues that emerged in transportation due to the shortages of fuel.

However, it has been decided that all schools in the Colombo Zone and suburbs as well as the schools in main cities of other provinces will discontinue in-person lessons next week. Further, all education officials of each province have been authorized to decide on how the academic activities at schools in other areas are carried out during this period.

Meanwhile, the Public Utilities Commission of Sri Lanka (PUCSL) has agreed not to impose power interruptions between 8.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. on weekdays, the Education Ministry added.

After reviewing the progress of the aforementioned measures, the Education Ministry will convene a meeting on June 25 (Saturday) to decide on how the academic activities at schools are conducted the following week.