Although Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya announced in a statement in September last year to “immediately stop bringing politicians to school functions,” MP D.V. Chanaka alleged in Parliament on Wednesday (March 12) that National People’s Power MPs are currently violating this directive.
He stated that former Speaker Ashoka Ranwala had attended a function held at Gampaha/Henegama Central College as a guest.
“The media reported that it is forbidden to bring politicians to school functions. But we saw your own former Speaker, Mr. Ashoka Ranwala, participating in the Henegama Central College inter-house sports festival today. I would like to know, Madam Speaker, is there still a law? Or is this a law imposed only on the opposition? Or are there two laws, one for the government and one for the opposition? I would like to know.”
At that, the Prime Minister stood up and responded as follows:
“Honorable Member, there is no law. I have not imposed any law at all. What I said is that we should all intervene to avoid using the school system for politics. We all have a responsibility. Otherwise, no one was banned from going to school. No such law was newly made.”
Meanwhile, the current Speaker, Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, also intervened in the debate.
His reference to Ashoka Ranwala as the Speaker has also been the subject of heated discussion.
“The Speaker participates in such events as the head of the legislature.”
At that, MP D.V. Chanaka responded as follows:
“Not you, the former Speaker. The former Speaker is now an MP. He will not become the Speaker. That is what we heard you say. You have not attended any function in the last five months. It would be good if you started setting an example from your own party.”
Prime Minister’s Statement
Although the Prime Minister stated that she did not issue a directive prohibiting politicians from attending school functions, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya had issued a statement on September 25, 2024, stating that “the bringing of politicians to school functions should be stopped immediately.”
During a meeting with officials from the Ministry of Education, she had ordered, “The bringing of public representatives to schools should be stopped.”
This statement was confirmed in an official release from the Prime Minister’s Media Division regarding the meeting.
At a press conference on September 27, 2024, the Prime Minister further elaborated on her stance:
“Politicians should not interfere unnecessarily in school events. For example, opening a building, this and that, that is unnecessary. When politicians attend everything, one issue is that costs increase. There is more waste.”
Telephone Call to Ashoka Ranwala
The BBC Sinhala Service attempted to contact MP Ashoka Ranwala, the subject of the controversy.
He answered the call but stated that he was busy with work and asked to be contacted later.
Deputy Minister of Education’s Response
When inquired about the matter, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Madura Seneviratne stated that the Prime Minister had issued a statement advising against bringing politics into schools in a moral sense.
Accordingly, he clarified that politicians had not been officially barred from attending school functions.
“The Prime Minister said that schools should not be used for political activities. Otherwise, there was no announcement prohibiting politicians from attending school events.”
However, when asked by BBC Sinhala whether the participation of politicians in such events could prevent politics from entering schools, the Deputy Minister responded, “That will not happen.”
He stated that while politicians are not restricted from attending school functions, they should ensure their presence does not introduce political influence into the school environment.
