Education

Sri Lanka Faces Over 36,000 Teacher Vacancies Nationwide, Says Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya

Sri Lanka is currently facing a significant shortage of teachers, with 36,178 vacancies reported across provincial and national schools, Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education Dr. Harini Amarasuriya informed Parliament today.

Responding to a parliamentary question, Dr. Amarasuriya revealed that 1,501 positions remain vacant in national schools alone. Among provincial schools, the Central Province recorded the highest number of vacancies at 6,318, followed by the Eastern Province with 6,613, and the Western Province with 4,630. Other provinces also face notable shortages, including the Southern (2,513), North Western (2,990), Uva (2,780), North Central (1,568), Sabaragamuwa (3,994), and Northern (3,271) provinces.

The Prime Minister stated that the government began recruiting teachers on July 28, 2024, to fill critical vacancies in Science, Mathematics, Technology, and language subjects at national schools, as well as G.C.E. Advanced Level teaching positions in Sinhala, English, and Tamil mediums.

She further announced that 353 graduate teachers from Grade III (B) 1 of the Sri Lanka Teaching Service will be appointed within the next two months. In addition, requests have been submitted to the Recruitment Review Committee, chaired by the Secretary to the Prime Minister, to expedite the process of filling the remaining vacancies across the Teaching Service.

Reporter

Recent Posts

Sri Lanka to Reopen Schools Nationwide After Cyclone Ditwah, With Special Measures for Affected Areas

Schools across Sri Lanka that were closed due to the disaster situation caused by Cyclone…

3 months ago

Australia Strengthens Ties with Sri Lanka During High-Level Visit

Australia’s Assistant Minister for Citizenship, Customs and Multicultural Affairs, and International Education, Julian Hill, has…

3 months ago

Notice on reopening preschools and early childhood development centers

All preschools and early childhood development centers that were closed due to the emergency disaster…

3 months ago

Sri Lanka Reschedules 2025 A/L Exams to January 2026 Following Severe Weather Disruptions

Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Education has announced that the 2025 G.C.E. Advanced Level (A/L) examinations—previously…

3 months ago

Australia and UNFPA Step Up Emergency Support for Women and Girls Affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka

Australia has partnered with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to deliver urgent humanitarian assistance…

3 months ago

Sri Lanka Teachers’ Union Calls for Urgent Financial Relief for Educators Hit by Disasters

The Ceylon Teachers’ Union (CTU) has called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately introduce…

3 months ago