2024-03-25
News Categories : Committee News
An awareness program was held in Parliament recently (Mar. 21) for Members of Parliament, journalists and other parties about the series of books and social media contents prepared to educate school children regarding reproductive health and sexuality education under the guidance of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children. During the programme the officials who contributed to this project were also commended.
The event was organized by the Parliamentary Caucus for Children and was attended by a group of government officials and Members of Parliament including the Leader of the Opposition Hon. Sajith Premadasa, Leader of the House and Minister of Education Hon. Susil Premajayantha, State Minister of Health Hon. Dr. Sita Arambepola.
A special committee was appointed with the membership of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Child Affairs and Social Empowerment under the guidance of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children chaired by Hon (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijeratne to educate schoolchildren and the community regarding reproductive health and sexuality education. Together with that committee, other government institutions, non-government organizations and academics prepared this book series with a series of digital media programs, and the launch was held on March 7.
Addressing the gathering, the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Caucus for Children, Hon. (Mrs.) Rohini Kumari Wijeratne said that it is a victory for the entire country to be able to introduce a series of books on reproductive health and sexuality education and a series of digital media programs to educate children and the community in the face of increasing child abuse in this country.
She also recalled that a few years ago, they tried to initiate this programme through the Sectoral Oversight Committees, but they could not accomplish it due to various obstacles. Also, she said that since this is a task that has been accomplished with the efforts of a large number of officials, she would like to express her sincere thanks to all of them.
The leader of the opposition Hon. Sajith Premadasa, pointed out that special consideration should be given to the rights of children and women and they should be included in the fundamental rights chapter of the Constitution. Also, the leader of the opposition pointed out that this program is an excellent effort with the need of the hour and for that he would like to express his gratitude to all the parties led by Hon. Rohini Wijeratne.
Also, the Minister of Education Hon. Susil Premajayantha said that he will take immediate steps to print these books free of charge and distribute them to the students. He also expressed his gratitude to all parties, including the Parliamentary Caucus for Children, who intervened to fulfill these tasks.
The awareness books published by the Ministry of Education were also presented to the Hon. Leader of the Opposition and the Minister of Education. Also, the officials of Ministry of Education introduced the textbooks and said that these textbooks have been presented in relation to four age groups from the age of 11 years. The officials of Ministry of Health introduced their digital media program series. Accordingly, a series of short videos have been created to publish through social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, X, TikTok and LinkedIn and Instagram with a QR code to increase the awareness of children and the community.
2026-05-26
The Central Provincial Council was summoned before the Committee on Public Accounts (COPA) to examine the Auditor General’s triennial report for the years 2021–2023, the Auditor General’s report for 2024, and the Council’s current performance.The committee meeting, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Kabir Hashim, was held recently at Parliament.During the meeting, attention was drawn to the progress made in implementing recommendations issued at the COPA meeting held on 5th September, 2019. Discussions focused on the incident involving the destruction of files belonging to the Central Provincial Passenger Transport Authority.It was revealed that directives issued by the relevant court and the Presidential Secretary regarding the incident had not been implemented by the responsible authorities. In this regard, the Committee Chairman instructed officials of the Central Provincial Council to submit all reports and correspondence related to the incident to the committee.In addition, the committee discussed an incident involving the unlawful transfer of a rest house owned by the Road Development Authority to a third party in violation of lease conditions. Accordingly, the Chairman instructed officials to identify the officers responsible for making the relevant decisions and to submit a report to the committee on the legal action being taken in connection with the matter.The committee also held extensive discussions on irregularities identified by the National Audit Office in road development and passenger transport services in the Central Province, as well as issues affecting the health sector.Expressing his views during the meeting, the Chairman emphasized the importance of expediting ongoing investigations within institutions and focusing on follow-up action. He further stressed that if a state institution generates profits, such profits should accrue to the government, and if such revenue is used for institutional activities, established legal provisions and procedures must be strictly followed.The meeting was attended by committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Dr. M.L.A.M. Hizbullah, Ruwanthilaka Jayakody, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Sunil Rathnasiri, Oshani Umanga, Susantha Kumara Navarathna, Ajantha Gammeddage, Chanaka Madugoda, T.K. Jayasundara and Lal Premanath along with a group of government officials.
2026-05-26
The Parliamentary Select Committee of Parliament to look into and report to Parliament on the matter of selecting the Electoral System under which the Provincial Council Elections should be held and submit its proposals and recommendations in that regard, recently sought views from the Attorney General’s Department and members of the Election Commission.The discussion took place when the committee met in Parliament under the chairmanship of Hon. Minister Vijitha Herath.During the meeting, the Attorney General’s Department briefed the committee on the existing legal obstacles to holding Provincial Council elections and the possible ways in which such obstacles could be removed to facilitate the conduct of the elections.The Election Commission informed the committee that it is prepared to conduct Provincial Council elections at any time under the legal provisions enacted by Parliament based on the committee’s recommendations.The meeting was attended by Hon. Deputy Ministers Arun Hemachandra, Sunil Watagala, Attorney-at-Law and Muneer Mulaffer as well as committee members Hon. Members of Parliament Mano Ganesan, Shanakiyan Rajaputhiran Rasamanickam, Dharmapriya Wijesinghe, Samanmali Gunasinghe and Lakshman Nipuna Arachchi. The committee member M. Nizam Kariapper, P.C also participated virtually.
2026-05-25
The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus has decided to examine the ongoing legal proceedings and matters relating to the protection of the girl involved in the sexual abuse incident reported from the Anuradhapura area.This decision was taken during the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus meeting chaired by Hon. Minister Saroja Savithri Paulraj, held in Parliament today (May 25). Accordingly, a special discussion has been scheduled for 05.06.2026 with the participation of relevant institutions including the Sri Lanka Police, the Attorney General’s Department, the National Child Protection Authority and the Department of Probation and Child Care Services.In addition to the incident, which has generated significant public concern, the discussion is also expected to focus extensively on strengthening the laws and empowering the institutions required to prevent all forms of violence against women and children.Meanwhile, it was also decided to appoint a subcommittee under the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus to oversee the future legal proceedings relating to the Anuradhapura girl’s case and to identify the institutional and legal reforms required in the country to eliminate violence against women and children.The subcommittee will be led by the deputy co-chairs of the Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus Hon. Members of Parliament Samanmali Gunasinghe and Attorney-at-Law Chamindrani Kiriella. The other members of the subcommittee will be Hon. Hemali Weerasekara, Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathna, Attorney-at-Law Sagarika Athauda, Attorney-at-Law Nilanthi Kottahachchi, Attorney-at-Law Nilusha Lakmali Gamage, Attorney-at-Law Thushari Jayasinghe, Attorney-at-Law Anushka Thilakarathna, Attorney-at-Law Hasara Liyanage, Attorney-at-Law Hiruni Wijesinghe and Attorney-at-Law Lakmali Hemachandra.
2026-05-25
The progress of implementing the new education reforms was reviewed at a recent meeting of the Sectoral Oversight Committee on Education, Manpower and Human Capital, chaired by Hon. Member of Parliament Hesha Withanage Ankumbura Arachchi. During the meeting held in Parliament on the 19th, extensive discussions were held on the implementation of the new education reforms.Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewa, briefed the committee on the manner in which the new education reforms are being implemented.The meeting was attended by Hon. Leader of the Opposition Sajith Premadasa, committee members, provincial education secretaries, school principals, and several other officials.
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