Flawed, poorly planned and rushed education reforms could widen inequalities between urban and rural schools, teachers’ unions warned yesterday, criticising the government’s newly launched education reform programme, despite its formal inauguration earlier in the day.

Union leaders said essential resources needed to implement the reforms, including teachers’ guides, have yet to be issued, raising serious concerns over how educators are expected to deliver lessons under the new framework.

They urged the government and the Education Minister to suspend the rapid rollout of the reforms and undertake proper planning and consultations before implementing them nationwide.

Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) Secretary, Joseph Stalin, addressing a press conference in Colombo on Thursday, cautioned that the reforms risk deepening existing disparities between urban and rural schools.

He drew attention to the new Grade 01 textbook, which reportedly includes 42 QR codes aimed at supporting digital learning. Stalin questioned the practicality of this approach for rural schools, where access to the internet and digital devices remains limited or non-existent.

“How are children in rural schools expected to access these facilities when internet connectivity and digital devices are either unavailable or very poor?” he asked.

Stalin also raised concerns over the absence of a clear long-term vision behind the reforms, stating that even policymakers have failed to clearly articulate the academic or developmental outcomes students are expected to achieve by the time they complete Grade 13.

Teacher preparedness was another major concern, he said, noting that educators assigned to teach under the new system have received training only for the first school term, while key instructional materials remain incomplete.

“Teachers do not even have a proper printed teachers’ guide,” Stalin said, adding that the guide is currently available only online, making it further disadvantageous to schools with weak digital infrastructure.The unions warned that proceeding with the reforms under such conditions could undermine the quality of education and place both teachers and students at a disadvantage.

Former Minister Johnston Fernando, his two sons  and two others were further remanded until 13 February by the Wattala Magistrate’s Court yesterday.The group was arrested by the Police Financial Crimes Investigation Division (FCID) over allegations of misusing a Sathosa lorry during Fernando’s tenure as Minister of Cooperative and Internal Trade.

It is alleged that the vehicle was used for operations linked to an ethanol company reportedly owned by Fernando, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs. 2.5 million to the state.

Fernando was arrested on 05 January. Earlier, on 09 January, a bail request was denied, and the suspects were ordered to remain in remand custody.

The investigation also led to the 30 December arrest of Fernando’s son, Johan Fernando, in Kurunegala. Former Sathosa Transport Manager Indika Ratnamalala was also taken into custody, accused of preparing forged documents related to the case.

IGP Priyantha Weerasooriya yesterday said that the Police were currently facing a shortage of nearly 32,000 personnel, with the service operating well below its required strength.

He made these remarks while attending a ceremony held yesterday morning (30) to appreciate the contribution of fingerprint officers, crime analysis officers, and forensic photographers attached to the Criminal Investigation Department for their role in solving crimes.

Addressing the gathering, the IGP noted that 2,500 police officers are due to retire this year, while a further 2,700 officers are expected to retire next year.

In light of the situation, he said that plans are underway to recruit 10,000 new officers to the Sri Lanka Police in the future.