February 02, Colombo (LNW): Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya has underscored that every major government policy and long-term development strategy must be shaped around a simple principle: no child in Sri Lanka should be denied access to vocational or higher education because of financial hardship.
She made these observations while speaking at a workshop on budget planning and institutional strategy for the vocational education sector, attended by heads and senior representatives of nine state-affiliated institutions, including two universities. The event, held in Colombo, focused on strengthening coordination and long-term planning within the sector.
The Prime Minister stressed that the plans of vocational and technical institutions must be closely aligned with the country’s broader National Economic Development Plan. While recognising the sector’s role in producing a skilled workforce, she said education reform should go beyond technical competence, placing equal emphasis on values such as empathy, ethical conduct and social responsibility in order to develop professionals with a strong sense of humanity.
Dr Amarasuriya noted that expanding opportunities for children from economically vulnerable backgrounds was a core responsibility of the State, adding that vocational education could play a decisive role in helping young people build secure and dignified futures.
Turning to global trends, she pointed to the growing influence of artificial intelligence on education and employment, observing that even internationally there is no clear consensus on how AI will transform vocational fields and the world of work. This uncertainty, she said, made it all the more urgent for Sri Lanka to integrate vocational training more firmly into the mainstream education system through timely and well-planned reforms.
She also cautioned that technological revolutions often prioritise profit, warning that Sri Lanka must avoid being left behind as it was during earlier phases of industrial change. Although digital platforms have expanded access to learning, she noted that technology has clear limits in professions rooted in human care and interaction, such as childcare and elder care, where compassion and interpersonal skills remain irreplaceable.
The discussion further explored the need for more flexible education pathways, enabling students to advance through vocational training to the highest academic levels, including doctoral studies, while also allowing working individuals to enter or re-enter education at different stages. Participants agreed that such flexibility must be matched with rigorous standards to protect quality and maintain public confidence in the education system.
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