Fresh allegations have deepened the education reform crisis, as new claims suggest dozens of uncertified websites and QR codes were embedded in primary school modules without any official assurance of child safety or content scrutiny.
Convener of the Teachers-Principal Trade Union Alliance, Ulapane Sumangala Thero, has revealed that a new batch of websites not certified as educationally appropriate by any state authority has been included in module books printed under the new education reforms.
According to the Thero, the names of these websites appear in every module under the section marked “for further activities”, prompting widespread concern among teachers, principals, and parents. He said repeated inquiries have been made to the Ministry of Education regarding whether these websites are suitable or inappropriate for children, but no clear answers have been provided.
Sumangala Thero further stated that there are 41 QR codes in the Grade 1 first-term module alone, and that no official certification has been issued to confirm that these digital links do not contain obscene or harmful material. He added that neither the Ministry of Education nor the National Institute of Education has formally confirmed that modules beyond the Grade Six English book are free from inappropriate content.
Referring to the earlier controversy, the Thero said it was deeply troubling that an obscene website appeared in the Grade Six English module, especially when textbooks are reportedly inspected twice by eight National Institute of Education teams before printing. He stressed that experienced NIE scholars who traditionally prepare textbooks would have no intention of including such material.
He alleged that the inappropriate website was deliberately inserted into the Grade Six English module through high-level intervention, noting that had he not identified it in time, the book would have been distributed to students on the 5th.
Sumangala Thero also recalled that during a module introduction workshop held on September 22 and 23 under the patronage of Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, officials promised printed copies of all modules. However, only the science module was later distributed.
He said the workshop, attended by all education sector trade unions, was disrupted on the first day after teachers and principals protested the failure to provide the remaining module books.
