Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated that it is the Government’s priority to create an environment that enables all children, without discrimination, to access the opportunities in the modern world and to confidently pursue their dreams.

The Prime Minister made these remarks while attending the Annual Prize-Giving Ceremony for the year 2025 at St. Bernadette’s Model School, Kurunegala, during an education inspection tour in the Kurunegala District on Thursday [18 June 2026].

During the event, prizes were awarded to students who had demonstrated outstanding achievements in various subjects and grades during the year 2025 by the Prime Minister.

The official school newspaper of St. Bernadette’s Model school, titled “Adarsha Prabha,” was also launched on this occasion.

Addressing the occasion, the Prime Minister stated:

“When we visit schools like this and meet children and teachers such as yourselves, it strengthens our determination to ensure that education in our country is elevated to the highest standards. We want to see schools where children’s faces reflect happiness and where they are nurtured in an environment of love and care.

As a country, we face numerous challenges. After a prolonged period of economic downturn, we are now gradually restoring stability. Global and climate-related challenges also affect us as a nation. We can overcome these challenges if we work collectively.

We are implementing our plans with the objective of bringing about a transformation in the education sector. This goes beyond curriculum development to a broad range of initiatives, including the strengthening of human resources and infrastructure within the education sector, thereby creating pathways for children to thrive in the new world. We must ensure that every child feels that the opportunities of the modern world are open to them and has the confidence needed to pursue their aspirations.

We are moving forward with many new reforms in the education sector. Efforts are underway to facilitate education through digitalization and the introduction of new subjects. Further, we aim to provide students with quality education by strengthening teacher training processes”.

Following the event, the Prime Minister undertook an inspection visit to St. Bernadette’s Model Primary School, Kurunegala.

The Prime Minister also visited Ridibendiella Gajanegama Maha Vidyalaya, Mahawa, where the Prime Minister held a discussion with the school’s academic staff. During the meeting, the Prime Minister expressed her appreciation to the teachers who remain dedicated to providing education to children in the area despite challenging circumstances.

The occasion was attended by the Governor of the North Western Province Tissa Warnasuriya; Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock Namal Karunaratne; Kurunegala District Members of Parliament Ashoka Gunasekara and Geetha Herath; Chairman of the Kurunegala Pradeshiya Sabha M.A. Wimalasiri; Chairman of the Mahawa Pradeshiya Sabha Sumedha Kumara; Chief Secretary to the Ministry of the North Western Province Chandana Wanninayake; other government officials; and representatives of the North Western Provincial Education Authorities.

[Prime Minister’s Media Division]

As global markets place increasing emphasis on sustainable and deforestation-free supply chains, Sri Lanka’s rubber sector is taking proactive steps to strengthen its competitiveness. These efforts are being advanced through a European Union-supported capacity-building initiative to meet emerging international requirements.

More than 80 stakeholders from across Sri Lanka’s rubber value chain gathered in Colombo recently to help shape the country’s response to the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), a key sustainability measure that will influence future access to European markets.

Participants at the Stakeholder Consultation Workshop included government institutions, plantation companies, smallholder farmer organisations, processors, exporters, manufacturers, industry associations, and development partners.

Organised by the Rubber Development Department in collaboration with the European Union-funded Green Recovery Facility, implemented by Expertise France under the EU Global Gateway strategy, the workshop formed part of ongoing efforts to enhance Sri Lanka’s readiness for the EUDR and strengthen the long-term sustainability and resilience of the country’s rubber sector.

Designed to foster deforestation-free supply chains and sustainable agricultural production, the EUDR supports global commitments on climate action, biodiversity conservation and forest protection. For Sri Lanka, which has been classified as a ‘low-risk’ country under the Regulation, it presents an opportunity to advance sustainability across the rubber sector, strengthen traceability and due diligence mechanisms, and reinforce its position as a trusted supplier in global markets.

The workshop forms part of a broader initiative under the EU-funded Green Recovery Facility to support the sector’s adaptation to EUDR requirements. Combining assessments, stakeholder consultations and targeted capacity-building activities, the initiative seeks to enhance traceability and due diligence practices across the rubber value chain while helping safeguard continued access to key export destinations.

The initiative underscores the European Union’s commitment to promoting sustainable production systems, environmental stewardship and the long-term competitiveness of Sri Lanka’s export sectors. Opening the workshop, Gunadasa Samarasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, emphasised the importance of ensuring that Sri Lanka’s rubber sector remains competitive and well-positioned to respond to evolving sustainability expectations and seize emerging opportunities in international markets.

Discussions explored stakeholders’ current levels of awareness and compliance with the EUDR, the role of government institutions in supporting implementation, international best practices and available traceability tools, and the priority capacity-building needs of actors across the rubber value chain.

The recommendations generated through the workshop will help shape the design of the initiative’s capacity-building programme, including the development of a three-and-a-half-day Training of Trainers (ToT) programme and stakeholder-specific training activities. The initiative is expected to directly train approximately 280 stakeholders across the rubber value chain, further strengthening the sector’s readiness to meet EUDR requirements. Positioning Sri Lanka’s rubber sector for a more sustainable, competitive and globally compliant future, the initiative will continue to build the capacities needed to meet evolving international market expectations.

Addressing the Informal Exchanges on Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Military Domain and its Implications for International Peace and Security, on 15 June 2026, at the United Nations in Geneva, Ambassador and Permanent Representative Sumith Dassanayake highlighted Sri Lanka’s strong position to negotiate a legally binding instrument to address the challenges and concerns posed by emerging technologies in the area of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems (LAWS).

In his intervention, Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake emphasised that on-going discussions in the UN system should evolve beyond autonomous weapons systems and need to increasingly focus on new and emerging AI capabilities such as AI Decision Support Systems (AI-DSS), AI cyber capabilities, integrating AI into nuclear weapons etc.

Ambassador Sumith Dassanayake further underscored that the application of AI in the military domain raises serious concerns regarding human responsibility, accountability, the increased risk of miscalculation and escalation of potential violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL). Sri Lanka strongly advocates for human centrality throughout the life cycle of AI in Military Domain and strongly opposes the dehumanization of decision-making and the transfer of life-and-death decisions to machines and algorithms.

The informal exchanges were convened in Geneva pursuant to the mandate of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 80/58 presented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea. Sri Lanka also voted in favour of the resolution.