A costly education reform hits turbulence as controversial content forces the Education Ministry to pull thousands of Grade 6 English books from distribution and trigger a CID probe.
The Ministry of Education has moved swiftly to remove controversial and inappropriate sections from the Grade 6 English subject module before releasing the books to schools, following mounting public concern and professional objections.
Secretary to the Ministry of Education Nalaka Kaluwewa confirmed that the problematic content identified in the new education reform material will be removed and that revised books will only be distributed after corrections are completed. He stressed that none of the printed modules have been issued to schools so far and that all copies remain secured in Colombo warehouses.
According to ministry sources, more than Rs. 60 million has already been spent to print approximately three hundred and fifty thousand copies of the Grade 6 English module. The remaining material will be released only after the disputed sections are removed, along with a special set of instructions to guide teachers on how to handle the revised content in classrooms.
The convener of the Education Professionals Association, Ven. Ulapane Sumangala Thero, raised serious allegations, claiming that the module attempted to promote homosexual activity by directing students to an external website linked to a lesson. He suggested that the inclusion of such material may point to a deeper conspiracy within the education reform process.
In response, the Education Secretary lodged a formal complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department on the 31st. Several teachers’ unions have also filed complaints, prompting the CID to launch a comprehensive investigation into the matter.
