Sri Lanka’s senior Buddhist prelate has warned that poorly understood education reforms risk damaging a system built by generations of scholars, urging urgent corrections before irreversible harm is done.
The Most Reverend Thibbutuwe Sri Sumangala Maha Nahimio, the Grand Leader of the Malwatu Chapter, has expressed serious concern over the direction of Sri Lanka’s current education reform process, stating that it appears to be driven by individuals who lack a proper understanding of education.
The Maha Nayaka Thero made these remarks when a delegation representing several opposition political parties visited the Malwatu Maha Vihara to brief him on the proposed reforms and their wider implications for the national education system.
Recalling earlier developments, he noted that the Maha Sangha had previously objected to a decision to remove Buddhism from the school curriculum. Following those protests, the authorities revised their position and removed the relevant sections, demonstrating the importance of consultation and corrective action.
The prelate emphasized that Sri Lanka possesses a large pool of highly capable teachers, academics, and university professors, and warned that allowing the education sector to deteriorate despite this intellectual strength was unacceptable. He stressed that education reforms must be grounded in knowledge, experience, and national values rather than imposed without adequate understanding.
He further advised that the most responsible path forward would be to identify and remove flawed and widely criticized elements of the reforms, revise them carefully, and reintroduce them in a manner that strengthens rather than weakens the education system.
The remarks add to growing public debate over education policy, reform accountability, and the need for inclusive consultation in shaping Sri Lanka’s future.
