Kolombota kiri, gamata kekiri
Monday 28th September, 2026 All low-enrolment schools across the country are being assessed for restructuring, according to media reports. While many of them are facing the prospect of amalgamation or closure, the performance of one such school has strengthened the argument against a blanket approach to low-enrolment schools. Students of Panahetagala Primary School, located in […]
The Koliambata kiri, gamata kekiri debate has gained momentum as the JVP-NPP government considers restructuring low-enrolment schools nationwide. Panahetagala Primary School, with only 22 students and five teachers, has emerged as an exception by excelling in the Grade Five Scholarship Examination (GFSE), despite lacking private coaching.
This success challenges the notion that all low-enrolment schools should be amalgamated or closed, as the government proposes. Teachers' unions accuse the administration of targeting these schools to fill vacancies elsewhere. With 10,146 state-run schools in Sri Lanka, a significant number are situated in rural and remote areas, often due to improved public transport reducing their dependency.
The NPP's 2024 manifesto pledges a government school within three kilometers of every home or workplace, but there's concern whether closing down rural schools will hinder fulfilling this commitment. The current administration should consider allocating funds to repair roads like the one leading to Panahetagala Primary School, which students and teachers traverse on foot or use makeshift ferries to reach.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
