• Secy. claims while several opportunities were provided to present views, certain TUs failed to engage ‘meaningfully’ 

In the wake of allegations that the Education Ministry did not adequately consult the teachers’ trade unions (TUs) on the upcoming education reforms – particularly the extension of school hours – the Ministry stated that while it had provided multiple opportunities for the unions to present their views, certain unions had however failed to engage meaningfully.

Speaking to The Daily Morning, Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa said that the Ministry had invited almost all unions on several occasions to discuss the proposed reforms, including changes to school hours from January of next year (2026). 

“We have given enough opportunities for the TUs to express their opinions on these reforms. However, on two occasions, when we had called almost all unions, certain union representatives stood up and left without engaging in any discussion.”

Rejecting claims that unions had not been consulted sufficiently, he said: “If a TU says that we didn’t give them an opportunity, we don’t accept that. When the opportunity was given, they should discuss it. There are many unions with opposing views, but they should still discuss. Whether they agree or not is a different matter, but it is always better to engage with us.”

Kaluwewa further said that the Ministry had consulted a considerable proportion of teachers on the upcoming education reforms. “It is not practical to discuss with more than 200,000 teachers individually. But, we can say that we discussed the reforms with a considerable proportion of teachers at the provincial and zonal levels.”

A dispute has escalated between certain TUs and the Ministry after the latter decided to extend school hours until 2 p.m. from next year. Certain teachers’ unions, including the Ceylon Teachers’ Union, have opposed the move, insisting that the reforms should be implemented within the existing school timetable of 7.30 a.m. to 1.30 p.m.