2023-12-18
News Categories : Committee News
The report to be submitted to the Parliament regarding the issues and recommendations related to the safety and care of children between the ages of 0-5 years of working women in Sri Lanka was considered in the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women, and Gender. It was discussed in the Sectoral Oversight Committee that the impact on the growing child of 0-5 years of age without mother's care will have a huge social impact in the next 20-25 years.
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women and Gender met on 08.12.2023 at the Parliament Premises under the chairmanship of the Member of Parliament Hon. Talatha Athukorala.
According to Ministry Circular No. 02/2023, permission has been given for mothers with children aged 02 and above to go abroad, thereby the child loses the ability to receive breast milk, and the bond between mother and child is also lost, the committee emphasized.
Furthermore, it was discussed that the loss of the mother from a young age is likely to result in a very violent generation in the future, and because the children are deprived of care from a young age due to the mother moving abroad and there is a tendency for those children to be involved in drugs and other criminal activities in the future. It was also discussed that since children are under someone else's care, they can be molested not only by neighbors, but also by close relatives such as fathers and grandfathers.
It was emphasized that there is a strong need for daycare centers that operate based on safe and formal recommendations for children in early childhood.
It was further discussed that there is no specific institution for the regulation and supervision of daycare centers that daycare centers are not properly registered and the data related to daycare centers is very deficient.
The committee was of the opinion that the above problems can be avoided by following the provisions of the National Guidelines for Child Day Care Centers in Sri Lanka compiled and published by the National Child Protection Authority.
Accordingly, it was recommended by the sectoral Oversight Committee on Children, Women, and Gender relations to regulate the quality of daycare centers in Sri Lanka and to re-enforce the law that prevented mothers with children under the age of 05 from leaving for foreign employment.
The members of the Sectoral Oversight Committee, Hon. Muditha Prishanthi, Hon. Dullas Alahapperuma, Hon. D. Weerasinghe, Hon. Manjula Dissanayake, and with the permission of the Committee Chair Hon. J. C. Alawathuwala were present at the Committee.
Furthermore, officials representing the Ministry of Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment, National Child Protection Authority, Department of Probation and Child Care Services, National Secretariat for Early Childhood Development and a group of youth representatives appointed to the Sectoral Oversight Committee also participated in this meeting.
2025-11-27
The appointments of three chairmen of state-owned institutions were approved by the Parliamentary Committee on High Posts yesterday (Nov. 26).Accordingly, the appointments of Dr. D.B.P.H. Dissabandara as the Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, Mr. M.D.C.A. Perera as the Chairman of the National Lotteries Board, and Eng. P.V.A. Hemalal, as the Chairman of Kahatagaha Graphite Lanka Limited, were approved by the Committee on High Posts.The meeting was chaired by Hon. Prime Minister, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, and a group of members of the committee participated in this meeting.
2025-11-27
The Chair of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection, Hon. Member of Parliament (Dr.) Najith Indika, stated that the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board must take the lead in streamlining the procurement process and easing existing legal barriers related to importing equipment used to test drivers for drug use.These matters were taken up during the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection, which met in Parliament on 20th November 2025 under the chairmanship of Hon. MP (Dr.) Najith Indika.The Committee reviewed the progress of the 2025 budget proposals and special project implementations of the Ministry of Public Security & Parliamentary Affairs and the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils & Local Government.Officials from the Sri Lanka Police Narcotics Bureau highlighted the difficulties in conducting roadside drug tests due to the lack of necessary equipment.The Committee Chair noted that the government has prioritized eliminating drug abuse and stressed the importance of regulating drivers who operate vehicles under the influence of drugs. He further stated that essential equipment required to identify drug users must be made readily available and that legal barriers affecting their procurement process and importation should be addressed promptly.Police officials also informed the Committee that notable progress has been made in implementing budgeted programmes related to drug prevention. Officials from the National Dangerous Drugs Control Board briefed the Committee on the progress achieved under their purview as well.The Committee additionally reviewed the progress of the 2025 budget proposals of the Ministry of Public Administration, Provincial Councils & Local Government. The Ministry Secretary reported significant progress and noted that many suspended development projects have now resumed.Hon. Members of Parliament G.G. Ponnambalam, Mujibur Rahman, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, and Dharmapriya Wijesinghe were also present at the committee meeting.
2025-11-26
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital has examined the operation of private universities in Sri Lanka and the issues relating to their recognition by the University Grants Commission (UGC).The matter was discussed when the Committee met in Parliament on 21 November 2025, under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage.During the discussion, the Committee Chair highlighted the emergence of institutions awarding degrees of inadequate quality and the resulting harm caused. He noted that many such institutions operate with profit-making as their primary objective rather than providing quality education. The Chair stressed the importance of ensuring that the entire process, from student admission to awarding of degrees remains under the supervision of the UGC.The Vice Chair of the UGC, expressing his views, underscored the need to establish a Higher Education Commission to regulate and monitor private universities and other degree-awarding institutions. He explained that such a body would enable the creation of comprehensive data systems and facilitate links with universities worldwide, allowing access to essential information on institutional standards and programme quality. This, he noted, would help ensure accurate decision-making when granting approval to prospective private universities. These comments were further supported by the Additional Secretary (Non-State Higher Education) of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training, and by officials of the UGC.The Committee also focused on issues related to state universities, scholarships offered for foreign degree programmes, and other related matters.Hon. Members of Parliament Krishnan Keleichelvi, Nilusha Lakmali Gamage (Attorney-at-Law), Chanaka Madugoda, Thurairasa Ravikaran, and Sunil Rajapaksha, along with officials from the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Training and the UGC, were present at the discussion.
2025-11-26
The Sectoral Oversight Committee on Governance, Justice and Civil Protection recently (Nov. 18) reviewed 12 performance reports and annual reports of institutions functioning under the Ministry of Justice and National Integration.The Committee met in Parliament on the 18th under the chairmanship of Hon. Member of Parliament Dr. Najith Indika.Accordingly, the Committee examined the 2022, 2023 and 2024 performance reports of the Registrar’s Office of the Supreme Court, the 2023 and 2024 performance reports of Judges of Supreme Court, the 2022 Annual Report of the Supreme Court Complex Management Board, the 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports of the National Authority for the Protection of Victims and Witnesses of Crime, and the 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports of the Department of Community Based Corrections.In addition, the Committee reviewed the 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports of the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka, the 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports of the Department of Official Languages, the 2020,2021,2022 & 2023 Annual Reports of the Official Languages Commission, the 2022 and 2023 Annual Reports of the National Institute of Language Education and Training, the 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports of the Department of Prisons, the 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports of the Prisoners’ Welfare Fund, and the 2023 and 2024 Annual Reports of the Debt Conciliation Board.The Committee also inquired into audit observations related to these institutions, and relevant officials presented their explanations. Attention was also drawn to the current activities of these institutions, as well as existing issues and shortcomings. The Committee Chair informed officials to notify the Committee if amendments to the legal framework governing these institutions were necessary to ensure more efficient service delivery, and assured the Committee’s support in facilitating such changes.Further, regarding the 2024 Annual Performance Report of the Department of Community Based Corrections, it was noted that the Auditor General’s report highlighted the incomplete construction of the building for the Legal Aid and Community Correctional Office in Puttalam. The Committee requested a report on this matter.Accordingly, approval of the Committee was granted for all performance and annual reports reviewed, except for the 2023 and 2024 Annual Performance Reports of the Department of Community Based Corrections.Hon. Members of Parliament Mujibur Rahman, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, and Major General (Retd.) G.D. Sooriyabandara, along with a group of government officials, participated in the Committee meeting.
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