A shocking discovery in a child’s schoolbook ignites a political firestorm, with top officials alleging a conspiracy to derail national education reforms.
Education Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa has filed a formal complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), demanding a probe into how an inappropriate website name was included in a Grade 6 English module. The module is part of the controversial education reforms recently implemented.
Speaking after submitting the complaint, Secretary Kaluwewa stated an internal ministry investigation confirmed the unacceptable oversight. He emphasized the serious nature of this educational material scandal.
“This should not have happened at all,” he said, noting an official statement was already issued.
The Secretary voiced strong suspicions that this was more than a simple error. He suggested it could be a deliberate conspiracy by opponents aiming to discredit the education reform process.
“For a long time, various parties have been making baseless allegations regarding these reforms. To substantiate these allegations, it is necessary to investigate whether this was done deliberately by any party,” Kaluwewa told reporters.
He highlighted the lengthy, multi-step process of module compilation and printing, expressing doubt such a mistake could slip through unchecked. “We have doubts that this has reached the final printing without skipping all those steps,” he added.
While the National Institute of Education holds primary responsibility for module preparation, the Secretary said an internal investigation is ongoing there. However, the CID’s help was sought to uncover any potential external influence or sabotage.
Under the new education reforms, about 106 modules have been printed by a large team. These materials, initially written before 2024, were recently re-edited for 2025 with new sections added.
Kaluwewa explained that identifying the problematic website required specific knowledge, and it was caught during final pre-printing checks. He assured the public there would be no cover-up of the mistake. Immediate steps are being taken to correct the errors in the modules, which have been used for teacher training since August.
