SL: Landmark education reforms to forge dual-pathway system, bridging skill gap

• By Nishel Fernando

The reforms, aimed at bridging a critical national skill gap and aligning human resources with the modern economic demands, were detailed by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya at a press conference in Colombo on Wednesday.

The announcement was made during the launch of Skills Expo 2025, a national initiative designed to connect young people with the industry leaders, which will be held from October 10-11, 2025, at the Temple Trees Convention Centre in Colombo.

Addressing the media, Amarasuriya outlined a vision to move beyond an education model that she described as passively steering the students into careers based on exam performance, rather than the aptitude or national need.

"For too long, the pathway has been linear and unforgiving. You do well in maths, you're automatically steered towards engineering. You do well in biology, you’re automatically steered towards medicine," Amarasuriya stated.

"The children, their passion, the needs of the country, the development strategies—none of these factors are sufficiently taken into account."

Amarasuriya acknowledged that while the current system has successfully sustained the nation's essential services, it is inadequate for propelling Sri Lanka to the "next level" of economic growth, which requires a resilient, diversified and innovative economy.

"To take our country to the next level, our economy needs to expand, diversify and be more resilient," she remarked.

"The kinds of skills that a young person requires today are quite different to what was imagined 20-30 years ago. We need to equip the young people with adaptability, flexibility and a familiarity with technology."

The cornerstone of the reform is the introduction of a mandatory "skills pathway", beginning in Grade 10. From next year, this new stream will be integrated into the curriculum, ensuring every student acquires a foundational skill aligned with his or her interests and capabilities.

After the Ordinary Level (O/L) examination, the system will formally bifurcate, offering the students two clear choices: the conventional academic path, leading to the Advanced Level (A/L) examination and traditional university education and the vocational skills path, a dedicated stream allowing the students to specialise in the technical and vocational fields, leading directly to the workforce or higher vocational education.

The government aims to tackle several systemic issues with this approach. Citing a recent Education Ministry census, Amarasuriya noted that while approximately 300,000 children enter the school system annually, only about 40,000 secure a place in the 17 state universities. Furthermore, an estimated 20,000 students drop out of the system each year.

"Our goal is threefold," Amarasuriya explained.

"First, to retain the students for a full 13 years of education. Second, to ensure they leave the system with a skill, a vocation and the confidence to face the world. Third, to develop the human resources that can build a creative, innovative and resilient economy based on a solid industrial base."

A key component of this new model will be early industry exposure. Amarasuriya emphasised the importance of giving the students practical, real-world experiences—such as shadowing a doctor, working in a hotel or interning at a tech start-up—before they make life-altering career decisions.

Events such as Skills Expo 2025 are positioned as a vital part of this strategy, providing a platform for the students to interact with the industrialists, innovators and entrepreneurs.

During the subsequent Q&A session, the industry stakeholders raised pertinent questions about the practical readiness of vocational graduates. A participant highlighted that the graduates from the vocational training institutes often lack the confidence and communication skills required during interviews. Amarasuriya acknowledged this as a critical gap.

"The whole education system is currently focused towards passing exams, not about facing the real-world situations," she conceded.

She explained that the reforms include a "career readiness" model, focused on confidence-building and soft skills.

Education Ministry Additional Secretary Himali Athaudage elaborated that the ministry is in the process of embedding the "21st century skills" into all technical curricula.

"We have been teaching the technology but not the soft skills. We are now introducing these, so our students will have the best technical and soft skills to thrive in the industry," she said.

Another question focused on was upskilling the Sri Lankan migrant workers to meet the high-demand, high-wage sectors globally, such as caregiving, rather than relying on the lower-skilled labour.

In response, Athaudage confirmed that this is a priority. The caregiver sector was identified as a key area of global and local demand.

"We are trying to skill most of our ladies or anyone interested, in the caregiving sector," Athaudage stated, noting that all vocational training, including for domestic work, now requires a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) certificate to ensure quality and standards. She further noted that scaling up the training facilities requires time and investment and issued a call to action for the private sector.

"There are no barriers for the private sector to come into the vocational training sector. The only requirements are to be registered with the Tertiary and Vocational Education Commission and have the courses accredited to ensure quality."