Amended Gazette – Graduate Teaching Application 2026

The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education has issued a Gazette Extraordinary (No. 2476/18) amending the requirements and deadlines for the competitive examination to recruit graduates to the Sri Lanka Teachers’ Service.

The update introduces critical changes for applicants targeting vacancies in Sinhala, Tamil, and English mediums across National and Provincial schools.

Major Deadline Extensions

The most significant change is the extension of the qualification deadline. While the previous notification required qualifications to be met by mid-2025, the new amendment sets March 5, 2026, as the final date for applicants to have fulfilled their educational and other professional requirements.

However, the age requirement remains anchored to a previous date, stipulating that candidates must have met the required age criteria by February 10, 2023.

Revised Eligibility for Public Servants

The gazette provides specific relief for graduates who were already in the public service as of February 10, 2023. Under the new rules:

• Active Public Servants: Graduates who were in service on February 10, 2023, and remain so, can apply if they completed their degree between that date and March 5, 2026, provided they were under 40 years old on February 10, 2023.
• Former Public Servants: Those who were in service on February 10, 2023, but have since resigned with formal approval are eligible if they completed their degree prior to March 5, 2026.

New Vacancy Schedules

The Ministry has also released a revised Schedule 5, which replaces all previous versions. This comprehensive list details teacher vacancies across various provinces, including:

• Western, North Central, and Northern Provinces.
• Eastern, Central, North Western, and Sabaragamuwa Provinces.
• Southern and Uva Provinces.

Recruitment for vacancies outside an applicant’s home province will only occur if positions remain after all qualified permanent residents of that province have been placed. The specific terms for these “outside province” appointments will be governed by the respective Provincial Public Service Commissions.