A powerful religious intervention has escalated Sri Lanka’s education reform controversy, with a senior Buddhist monk urging the President to scrap reforms, reshuffle the Cabinet, and remove Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya from the Education Ministry.
Reverend Elle Gunawansa Thero, President of the National Movement to Save the Land, has submitted a special memorandum to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake calling for the immediate suspension and cancellation of all education reforms that have been presented or are scheduled to be implemented.
The request follows a growing controversy surrounding the inclusion of the name of an inappropriate website in a Grade Six English language module, which has triggered public concern and intensified political and social debate over the direction of Sri Lanka’s education reforms.
In the memorandum, the Thero states that the reforms were introduced without the preparation of a proper policy framework and without seeking the views of Buddhist monks, teachers, or recognized education experts. He claims the reform process has been arbitrary and non transparent, lacking professional consultation and social consensus.
He further argues that it is an unforgivable sin to artificially inculcate heterosexual orientations in children through what he describes as illegal and anti social methods, carried out under the guise of education reform. According to the memorandum, such actions risk causing long term psychological harm to future generations.
The document also alleges that the reform programme represents a long planned conspiracy driven by foreign aid interests. It claims that these policies could result in a society burdened by mental illness in the decades ahead, and calls for those responsible to be punished under the Penal Code and existing criminal laws related to child abuse.
Reverend Gunawansa Thero further states that the current Prime Minister is unfit to continue as Minister of Education, alleging constitutional violations and calling for her removal from the post.
He has urged the President to immediately reshuffle the Cabinet and appoint what he describes as a patriotic and mentally healthy Member of Parliament to oversee the education portfolio, stressing that the future of Sri Lanka’s children and national values is at stake.
