A special discussion to review the progress of the national programme to digitalise Sri Lanka's school education system and to determine the next strategic steps was held on 21st July at the Parliament Complex.
The meeting was chaired by the Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and was attended by the Deputy Minister of Digital Economy, Eng. Eranga Weeraratne; Hon, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education, Dr. Madura Seneviratne,the President's Chief Advisor on Digital Economy, Dr. Hans Wijayasuriya; the Secretary to the Prime Minister, Mr. Pradeep Saputhanthri; the Secretary to the Ministry of Digital Economy, Mr. Waruna Sri Dhanapala; along with a number of senior government officials.
Representatives from the Digital Task Force, the Prime Minister's Office, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Digital Economy, GovTech, the Sri Lanka Air Force, and senior officials from Sri Lanka Telecom (SLT) and Dialog Axiata also participated in the discussion. Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening educational digital infrastructure through effective collaboration between the public and private sectors.
The meeting primarily reviewed the current progress of the programme to provide high-speed internet connectivity to all schools across the island through fibre-optic technology. Discussions also focused extensively on identifying schools where fibre connectivity cannot be provided due to geographical or technical constraints and on implementing alternative connectivity solutions for such schools. In addition, it was decided to accelerate the School Internet Project, which aims to connect more than 6,000 secondary schools across the country to national digital systems and online learning platforms.
As part of the broader digital transformation of the education sector, priority was also given to establishing Distance Learning Management Systems (DLMS) for schools and expanding Smart Classroom facilities. Discussions further covered the development of the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) to strengthen education data management, as well as the modernisation of Sri Lanka's national online learning portal, e-Thaksalawa, to meet evolving technological requirements. To facilitate the efficient implementation of these initiatives, agreement was reached for the Ministry of Education and GovTech to enter into a formal partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
The discussion also underscored the importance of ensuring online child safety alongside the expansion of digital access to education. Particular attention was paid to addressing the growing social challenge of online gambling addiction and its impact on schoolchildren, with officials deliberating on the protective measures and awareness programmes required to safeguard students and the wider community from related risks.
