Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya has stated that the Academic Advisory Board of the National Institute of Education (NIE) has ordered that no web links be included in future modules prepared for the second and third terms under the government’s education reform program.
Delivering a statement in Parliament today (09), the Prime Minister further clarified that the websites and other online sources currently referenced in the modules are accessible without charge and do not require any payment. She emphasized that the use of government websites does not raise concerns related to transparency, accountability, or procurement procedures.
The Prime Minister further clarified that the websites and other online sources currently referenced in the modules are accessible without charge and do not require any payment. She emphasized that the use of government websites does not raise concerns related to transparency, accountability, or procurement procedures.
The Prime Minister stated that the Task Force for Digital Transformation in Education has conducted a study on child protection aspects related to digital usage and has prepared a corresponding policy and set of guidelines.
She said the relevant policies and guidelines will be presented to the Academic Advisory Board of the National Institute of Education (NIE) in due course.
She further emphasized that the institution will not receive any financial benefit from the ongoing education reforms and noted that nearly 92% of primary-grade teachers have already received the required training.
However, the Prime Minister pointed out that due to the prevailing disaster situation in recent months experienced across the country, the planned training programmes could not be conducted in certain provinces.
Accordingly, she said arrangements are expected to be made to provide training for those teachers before the commencement of the school term for Grades 01 and 06.
She further clarified that the use of the internet is not mandatory for the implementation of this educational activities and that teachers have been given the option to use it solely as a learning aid.
She added that all information related to the new module has been incorporated into the Teacher’s Guide, enabling teachers to conduct lessons without relying on internet-based applications.
The Prime Minister also stated that student evaluations are expected to be carried out through a computer-based application in the future.
She added that training programmes in this regard were implemented in 2025 and assured that necessary steps will be taken to further enhance technological knowledge of teachers going forward.
