Dear Harini,
Although I am writing this letter in the form of an article intended for public dissemination, there is a possibility you may never see or read it. Nonetheless, I believe it is my responsibility to address this matter with you.
As the Prime Minister and the Minister of Education of our country, it is crucial to consider whether you have truly and thoroughly defined your responsibilities in these roles. Given that you hold a PhD, I trust you are well-versed in your areas of expertise as you are an academic, rights activist, and university lecturer and are known for your work in education and social justice. However, the key issue is whether you possess a sufficient ideological foundation to make sound decisions, despite having served as a senior lecturer in Sociology and Social Anthropology in the Department of Social Sciences at the Open University, Sri Lanka.
Having watched and observed your reformative formulas in the field of Sri Lankan education, I see a lot of erroneous mistakes, which is not possible for a person like you. Changing modules or introducing new methods are not the best procedures for education. If that is your conceptual view, I think you have missed the train somewhere. In the middle of this discussion, I also came across some of your concerns and ideologies on same-sex marriages or unions. I can imagine if someone who has autism speaks of such a conception, which is irrelevant at the moment in Sri Lanka or if an absent-minded person turns things upside down. That’s what Ranil Wickramasinghe did for the last three decades. Why, Harini, did you get into such a pit? Is it a political interest or your personal interest?
Sri Lanka has not yet recovered from COVID-19, though most of the politicians behave as if nothing had happened in the country for the last 7 years. There is no conventional solution for political instability, and not even for economic chaos in the country. There is no policy for education: government schools have a different plan while private and semi-government school have their own interests. The order in many fields is to reset with effective discussions and action plans. What has made or influenced you to open a common discussion on same-sex marriages and unions, which is a massive interest in Western and European countries? But Sri Lanka has no sense of this issue, though it is being practised by people internally in their own boxes.
I believe you have not fully grasped the fundamental essence of your roles as both Prime Minister and Minister of Education. These positions are integral to the fabric of Sri Lankan civil society and hold the potential to serve our people in a meaningful way. However, establishing a new vision for this country is challenging when you are not effectively leading the people. I see a significant issue in your tendency to engage primarily with your university colleagues rather than with ordinary citizens. Your responsibility is to involve everyday people in a national-level program, rather than confining discussions to a select group that may lack a genuine understanding of the country’s needs.
A concerned citizen,
leelagemalli / January 8, 2026
Dear sensitive readers,
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As an observer of our school system, I write with genuine concern regarding the errors recently identified in newly introduced school educational material.
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For generations, Sri Lankan parents and teachers have taken pride in the quality and care given to school textbooks. Even in times when resources were limited, strong professional standards ensured that children received accurate and well-prepared learning materials. It is therefore troubling that errors could pass unnoticed through preparation, teacher training, and approval processes.
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This concern is not about assigning political blame. It is about children in classrooms and teachers who rely on officially approved materials. When educators are trained using these texts for months, yet no effective channel exists to identify and correct mistakes before printing, it places teachers in a difficult position and confuses students.
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leelagemalli / January 8, 2026
cont.
Parents trust that materials sent to schools have been carefully checked. Teachers trust that what they are asked to teach meets accepted academic standards. When that trust is shaken, even unintentionally, it affects confidence in the system as a whole.
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Mistakes can happen in any system. What matters most is how quickly they are acknowledged, corrected, and prevented in the future. Clear review procedures, independent proofreading, and meaningful feedback from classroom teachers would go a long way in restoring confidence.
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Our children deserve learning materials that reflect the care, responsibility, and professionalism that Sri Lanka’s education system has long been known for. Safeguarding that standard should be a shared priority for everyone involved.
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Yours faithfully,
Concerned citizen
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Ajith / January 9, 2026
“Our children deserve learning materials that reflect the care, responsibility, and professionalism that Sri Lanka’s education system has long been known for. Safeguarding that standard should be a shared priority for everyone involved.”
Unfortunately, for the past 77 years of the rule of governments, Our children failed to learn to become an educated child who understand what is right and what is wrong and why this country continuously in blood bath for many decades and why the country is poor for such a long period. Is there any opportunity for a child to decide which religion is good for him to follow not to follow any religion and has he got all the information about all the religions that exist in the world?
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Pundit / January 8, 2026
Rehan Derrick Fernando, the level of your expertise as an educationist is unknown, but I sense a touch of homophobia in your letter to the PM.
A teen-aged nephew of ours was recently heard bragging about how he bashed a classmate “because he was gay”. I do not see a problem with children being taught about others with ‘different’ sexual orientations at an early age.
You refer to same sex marriage. Had it been legalized in SL, a former head of state may well have married his partner with whom he’s been in a relationship for over four decades.
Rehan Derrick Fernando you should take time off to listen to Nobel Prize Laureate for Literature Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A Changing”. Inspiring stuff.
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old codger / January 8, 2026
Pundit,
In this country, it is OK for a man to do his own thing while not being married. He may even have children. But a woman can do none of the foregoing.
In this country, certain clergy recruit under-aged children as novices, and other members claim to be protecting children from “bad” influences.
Such a strange country.
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leelagemalli / January 10, 2026
OC,
My elders informed me that certain rural monks and pastors have children with certain families (bastards). This culture has been in that nation for a long time. However, the place assigned to SINHLA-BUUDDHISM and cheevaradariayas in the ignorant society has never allowed them to be targeted by criticism. That was why the present President and numerous ministers in charge now embraced monastic life to escape their lives as Jeppos in those days. However, the Sri Lankan press, the number one mafia network, keeps this from the people who have been sheepish since the day I knew. Some modern-minded instructors have no place in rural communities because corruption and traditions take precedence. From birth, they are illogical.
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old codger / January 10, 2026
LM,
Among Sinhalese Buddhists, it is the message that is important, not the person delivering it. Therefore, if the sermons are interesting, it doesn’t matter if the preacher is a thug, philanderer, or worse.
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LankaScot / January 8, 2026
Hello Pundit,
Bob Dylan’s words in “The Times They Are A Changing” were inspiring to us as Teenagers especially this verse –
“Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don’t criticize
What you can’t understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command”
–
We also liked Robert Burns Poem “Holy Willie’s Prayer” which showed the Levels of Christian Hypocrisy that we were familiar with e.g.
“Besides, I must also declare,
I had Lizzie’s daughter three times,
But Lord, that Friday I was drunk,
When I came near her;
Or else, Thou knows, Thy servant true
Would never have taken her”
–
Another verse shows true Christian Forgiveness😉
–
“Lord, in Thy day of vengeance try him,
Lord, visit them who did employ him,
And pass not in Thy mercy by them,
Nor hear their prayer,
But for Thy people’s sake destroy them,
Do not spare them.”
I used the English Translation.
Best regards
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Lester / January 9, 2026
The times are changing yes. The latest iteration to the filter blocks out specific key words. Any reference to “xyz” will not show up. How does the filter work? 1.) Create “Swiss Bank Account.” Any comments from those without a “Swiss Bank Account” will not appear. 2.) Create word blocker. Specific words will not be displayed. The only drawback is if someone with a SBA uses particular key words, their entire comment will be blocked out.
The expectation is that within 5-10 years, a filter will not be necessary as the Malthus Factor will have expunged the trash (permanently). When that happens, I may release the code here.
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.
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noballs / January 9, 2026
Lester dearest,
“The latest iteration to the f-lter blocks out …….blah blah….”
Thanks for admitting that the Great F-lter doesn’t work, and never will. Only a coward hides behind f-lters. Everyone else can see you’re being made a fool of. Be a man and come out, even if some of your masculine parts are deficient.
Nůţ$ to you.
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nimal fernando / January 11, 2026
“Your mind is like a parachute! Useless unless it’s open”. — Frank Zappa
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noballs / January 10, 2026
Ðãrling Ľes,
“The expectation is that within 5-10 years….”
In 10 years, dearie, it’s more likely that you would be locked up in a padded cell……..
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noballs / January 10, 2026
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
Never underestimate the stupidity of cowards who hide behind leaky filters.
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leelagemalli / January 10, 2026
Padded cell? rather in a hell. Lester still thinks he is the most intelligent guy …..my foot!🙄🙄🙄
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nimal fernando / January 11, 2026
power of stupid
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Lester / January 9, 2026
*Create a
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Lester / January 9, 2026
Fantastic news. 500% tariffs on Indian goods. Well done, Donald Trump. The US put 100% tariffs on Chinese cars. That’s why there are no Chinese cars sold in the US. By comparison, 500% tariff –> charge customer 6x the original price. Whatever Indians in India sell in the US will no longer be sold.
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ramona therese fernando / January 8, 2026
Someone must have deliberately slipped the material in. And she insists she didn’t authorize it.
But with the industry promoting it globally, terrible if that is offered as an industry to erase the national debt. Even the US has removed this marerial.
–
Anyway, I don’t think it is right that she allowed all those lights and carnivals in Colombo for Christmas celebrations in the midst of the flood crisis (or was it Balthazar….Rosie would have probably been more discreet). And Sri Lanka in the end is mostly a Buddhist nation. Even my city in US has only a few modest light shows for the season. And it is a mostly a Christian land
. No, it does not do much for the tourism….doubt there were many tourists around enjoying the carnival…..tourists want the historical and scenic aspects of the country. Most were Lankans with money, splurging. This was the exact time flood taxation should have been implemented for the disaster. Promoting our Motherland as a Christmas and New Year destination could have been done another year.
Too much emphasis is on upholding the Colombo scene,…fashion scenes, gala dances, and beauty contests, with high class colonial-era raffles thrown in (all do nothing for tourism) with little taxation of the Lankan US$ Millionaires and Billionaires. Can’t believe this is a socialist government.
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Ajith / January 9, 2026
” And Sri Lanka in the end is mostly a Buddhist nation. “
Yes. It is a Sinhala Buddhist Nation. President AKD start his year 2026 in Daladha Maigawai after promoting an illegal Built Buddhist Temple. Finally Harini has to visit Maha Sangha to explain that she will follow the law of Sinhala Buddhism.
In fact the country is ruled by violent Maga Sangha.
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Naman / January 10, 2026
All the SL citizens will agree that the current Educational System needs to be changed to suit its future developments. Education of our youth should lead to good law abiding citizens who will be be suitably educated/qualified in order to serve Mother Lanka. Over the decades there was proliferation of the so called International Schools to which the wealthy parents sent their kids. Most of them ended up studying overseas costing lots of Foreign Exchange as well as they end up in working for the foreign countries. This is a loss for our country.
Teaching standards in the public schools should be THE concern of the Education Minister. PM being an Education Minister must make sure of the quality of the teachers.
Any changes to the educational system needs input from various stakeholders. Secular schools should be promoted.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2026
Hello Naman,
The UK went through a period when many of its best Scientists and Engineers were emigrating to better climes. This took place from the 1940s through to the 1970s and was popularly known as the “Brain Drain”.
Many of my older Relatives went to the US and Canada; some at the behest of family members that had departed in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Others went to Australia and New Zealand.
The British Government investigated the problem and generally came to the conclusion that there was nothing they could do about it. One British Civil Servant said of the US “This is the first age in which a large and affluent country has deliberately set about robbing the rest of world of the best of its qualified manpower.”
At this time the UK had many Economic Problems and Low Productivity compared with other European countries. Correlli Barnett (Military and Economic Historian) in the 1940s blamed “class divisions and outdated methods, both in industry and in politics.”
An Educated and Well Trained populace will always go where the prospects are better. How would you propose to keep them in Sri Lanka?
Best regards
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Lester / January 11, 2026
I cannot see any posts from Naman. Does that entity exist?
// 🚫 Block-list: always remove these names even if they appear in safeUsers
const blockedUsers = [
‘indians’,
‘south indians’,
‘religion of peace’,
];
“Life is too short to read a bad book.” – Joyce
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Mani / January 11, 2026
Rehan Fernando, you are obfuscating the issue. The Education minister has not been advocating same-sex marriage in the school curriculum. A mistake has been made to include a link to a gay website in a 6th grade textbook – this could be a malicious attempt to discredit the Education minister by an adversary or a slip made by some moron with low IQ. I am sure there are plenty of other mistakes in those modules as well. However, there in absolutely no justification for the gender-based abuse that is being hurled at the PM/Education minister. One cannot expect a minister to read every word in every textbook in the school system. However, she is responsible for not instituting a system/process of oversight where each text book is checked with a fine comb before publication. The opposition is having a field day as they know that the NPP would never have got the votes without people like Harini – bowl out the top batswoman to ensure that the team loses! However, the PM/Education Minister also has to pay for her arrogance and lack of accountability – trying to hasten half-baked education reforms without adequate consultation with stakeholders.
/