Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya told Parliament on Wednesday that the government was planning to reform the higher education sector in line with the ongoing transformation of the primary and secondary education systems.

Responding to questions raised by Digamadulla District NPP MP Manjula Sugath Rathnayaka, the Prime Minister said a special expert committee appointed to review the higher education sector had been functioning over the past six months and was expected to submit recommendations aimed at addressing long-standing structural and administrative issues.

“A special expert committee appointed for this purpose has been in operation over the past six months, and based on the report of this panel, existing issues in the higher education sector will be identified and the necessary reforms will be implemented,” she said.

Providing details on university admissions, Dr. Amarasuriya said 281,810 students had sat the 2025 GCE A/L Examination, and out of them 176,538 were qualified for university admission. However, only 42,937 students could gain admission to state universities.

The Prime Minister said the highest number of qualified students was from the Arts stream (58,269) candidates, followed by Commerce stream (39,608), Biological Sciences (32,935), and Physical Sciences (23,012). In addition, 12,472 students were qualified in the Engineering Technology

stream, 6,043 in the Bio-Systems Technology, and 4,199 in the General Stream.

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa yesterday (07) raised serious concerns in Parliament over the lack of transparency and efficiency in the country’s fuel procurement process, calling for immediate clarification on alleged irregularities involving the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation.

Speaking under Standing Order 27(2), Premadasa questioned the registration of new fuel suppliers over the past 12 months, the identities of those suppliers, and whether any had been excluded from the distribution process. He also sought details on action taken against suppliers who allegedly failed to meet contractual obligations.

The Opposition Leader called for a breakdown of emergency fuel procurements and long-term contracts awarded by the CPC during the past year, along with disclosure of technical and commercial evaluation criteria used in awarding tenders. He urged that these standards be benchmarked against international procurement practices.

Premadasa also highlighted reported financial losses arising from fuel procurement and requested a comparative analysis of prices under long-term contracts versus emergency spot purchases. He specifically asked for details on the three most expensive procurement deals, the number of bids received, and the companies awarded the contracts.

Raising technical concerns, he pointed to the use of Murban crude oil instead of Iranian Light crude at the Sapugaskanda Refinery, saying the change had impacted production efficiency, costs, and final pricing. He sought clarification on whether discrepancies existed between recommendations made by technical evaluation committees and decisions taken at cabinet-level procurement committees.

The SJB Leader also cited a recent incident in which a supplier awarded a term contract reportedly failed to deliver, prompting the CPC to resort to a spot purchase at a higher price from the same supplier.

Premadasa said the developments required urgent explanation, stressing that the Government must account for why recent fuel procurement decisions appeared to have been disadvantageous to the country.

Questions were raised yesterday over the government’s move to award Sri Lanka’s proposed digital identity card project to an Indian company despite strong objections previously voiced by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake while in the Opposition.

National Trade Union and Civil Front Convener Specialist Dr. Chamal Sanjeewa, addressing a media briefing in Colombo, called on the Government to immediately clarify reports on the tender process and the alleged involvement of a foreign company in handling sensitive biometric data of Sri Lankan citizens.

Dr. Sanjeewa claimed that the project involved the collection of highly sensitive personal information, including fingerprints, iris scans and other biometric details, warning that transferring such data to an external entities posed serious national security and privacy risks.

“The world today runs on data,” he said,recalling statements previously made in Parliament by President Dissanayake himself when he was in the Opposition. According to Dr. Sanjeewa, the President had at the time expressed serious reservations over foreign involvement in the digital identity card initiative and warned of the dangers of surrendering citizens’ data to outside parties.

However, Dr. Sanjeewa alleged that the current administration was now proceeding with the same project and taking steps to award the contract to a selected Indian company.

He further asked whether the tender had been awarded to a company previously linked to controversial transactions and alleged tax-related irregularities in Sri Lanka, claiming that investigative reports had identified the firm as a “questionable” entity.

Dr. Sanjeewa warned that data trafficking had emerged as one of the world’s most lucrative illegal industries and stressed that any misuse of biometric data could have irreversible consequences for national security.

He also argued that Sri Lanka possessed sufficient technical expertise to implement the project independently through local professionals and institutions.

Claiming that the overall project value exceeded Rs. 40 billion, Dr. Sanjeewa urged the Government to make an official statement clarifying the tender process, the identity of the selected company and the safeguards in place to protect citizens’ personal data.

By Chaminda Silva