Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that ensuring the economic and social independence of children with disabilities is a responsibility of the Government.
The Prime Minister made these remarks in Parliament on 11 September in response to a question raised by a Member of Parliament.
Elaborating further, the Prime Minister stated:
The objective of the new education reforms is to nurture children who are compassionate, accepting of diversity, and capable of living in a society comprising people with diverse abilities and circumstances. Within the process of inclusion, children with disabilities are not considered as a group that should receive education separately. Instead, every effort should be made to integrate these children with other children. The primary responsibility of a government with regard to the future of children with disabilities is to initiate a programme that ensures their independence in every aspect, particularly economically and socially.
A programme to provide the necessary learning equipment, including digital devices, to children with special needs is currently being implemented in collaboration with the Prime Minister’s Office. A programme to improve accessibility facilities and infrastructure in schools with special education units is also being implemented. In addition, steps have been initiated to provide 75 digital voice recorders, 200 rechargeable magnifying glasses with lights, and 200 hand-held magnifiers to special education units in national schools.
The recruitment of teachers to conduct teaching and learning in special education units is currently carried out exclusively from among teachers graduating from the National Colleges of Education. The vacancies can be filled through teachers graduating from the National Colleges of Education during this year and the coming year.
A number of training programmes were conducted in 2025 to enhance the professional capacity of teachers currently in service. These included a teacher training programme on reading audiograms of children with hearing impairments and interpreting visual examination reports of children with visual impairments; a Commonwealth programme to raise awareness among special education professionals on inclusive education; special teacher training programmes on Braille and sign language; and training programmes on Teacher Guides 1 and 2 towards inclusive education for special education teachers. In addition, assessment processes are being implemented through assessment committees established at zonal education offices.
Through these measures, opportunities for inclusion are being provided to children with disabilities. Joint learning activities are also being implemented, while learning and co-curricular activities are being conducted jointly with regular schools located in the vicinity of schools providing special education.
We have met many parents, and one of the main concerns, particularly among mothers, is what will happen to their children when the parents are no longer there. I believe that the most important thing we can do, as the Ministry of Education and as the Government, is to initiate a programme that ensures the independence of children with disabilities in every aspect. In this regard, the special effort we are making through education is to enable these children, in one way or another, to reach a stage where they can engage in employment.
It is not enough to provide vocational training; we also need to create employment opportunities for these children. We are currently in discussions with institutions that provide employment opportunities to allocate a certain quota for children with special needs and disabilities. Some institutions are already implementing such initiatives. We hope to expand these programmes further. At the Skill Expo scheduled to be held this year, we also expect to conduct programmes and awareness initiatives focusing specifically on employment opportunities for children with disabilities based on their skills.
A similar programme is also being implemented through the Ministry of Social Security. Children need to be provided with social protection. There are provisions to provide allowances to families below a certain income level. In addition, scholarships are being provided to students with special needs at universities, and guidelines have been issued to ensure that university hostels are designed to facilitate accessibility and convenience for students with disabilities.
Prime Minister’s Media Division