Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, announced in Parliament that there are currently around 40000 teacher vacancies across government schools in Sri Lanka.
She stated that the government is taking steps to fill at least a portion of these vacancies by the end of this year, despite delays caused by pending legal proceedings.
A detailed breakdown of current teacher shortages was presented:
- Primary Grades (1–5):
- Sinhala Medium: 4,240 vacancies
- Tamil Medium: 2,827 vacancies
- Junior Secondary Grades (6–11):
- Sinhala Medium: 11,274 vacancies
- Tamil Medium: 6,121 vacancies
Dr. Amarasuriya noted that while some recruitments have already taken place—such as the appointments effective from May 2, 2025, for National Teaching Science Diploma holders—legal challenges have delayed further efforts.
Key legal issues affecting recruitment include:
- Court of Appeal Injunction on the competitive examination for Tamil medium teaching assistants (Gazette No. 2389/2024), halting the exam scheduled for August 12, 2024.
- Supreme Court Interim Order suspending the recruitment of graduates under Gazette No. 2317/2023, pending final judgment.
The Prime Minister affirmed that once legal proceedings are concluded, the Ministry will resume the recruitment processes to ensure schools are adequately staffed and the quality of education is upheld.
