On 31 October 2025, Multi-ethnic Trilingual School in Polonnaruwa, built with Indian grant, was jointly inaugurated and handed over to the Government of Sri Lanka by Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education of Sri Lanka, Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and High Commissioner of India, H.E. Santosh Jha. Hon. Deputy Minister of Housing, Construction and Water Supply, T.B. Sarath; Hon. Member of Parliament Sunil Rathnasiri; Secretary, Ministry of Education, Mr. Nalaka Kaluwewe; Secretary, Chief Ministry of North Central Province, Mr. Jayalath; among other dignitaries attended the event.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed in February 2017 between the two Governments to establish the school as a High Impact Community Development Project to provide quality education opportunities in a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural environment. The Indian financial assistance to the project stands at over SLR 320 million. As per plans for the overall premises, Government of Sri Lanka is further undertaking construction of additional structures conjunct to the building inaugurated on 31 October.
In her address at the event, Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya expressed gratitude to the Government and people of India for the project. She said that, with the handing over, India has done its part, and now it is the Sri Lankan Government’s responsibility to take the initiative forward.
She highlighted the efforts underway in Sri Lanka to address issues in the education sector, such as inadequate infrastructure and shortage of teachers, and appreciated India’s support in this regard through various development cooperation initiatives.
In his remarks, High Commissioner H.E. Santosh Jha underscored the shared commitment of the Governments of India and Sri Lanka to the welfare of the people of the two countries. He said that the shared commitment finds added strength in the synergy in approaches in the two countries. He underscored developments specifically in the education sector, where India’s National Education Policy of 2020 and structural reforms are bringing about transformational changes, while in Sri Lanka, under the leadership of Prime Minister Dr. Amarasuriya, preparations are underway to launch new education reforms in 2026. In this regard, he said that India stands ready to collaborate with Sri Lanka across different dimensions of the transformative journey. He added that India will continue with its impactful development assistance initiatives in the education sector in the country.
Some notable past instances of India’s development cooperation projects in the education sector in Sri Lanka include infrastructure up-gradation and supply of digital equipment at hundreds of institutions across the island; establishment and support to vocational training centers at Puttalam, Batticaloa and Nuwara Eliya; construction of the Rabindranath Tagore Memorial Auditorium at Ruhuna University – the largest university auditorium in the country; teacher-training program in STEM subjects for over 2000 plantation teachers last year; setting up of 200 smart classes and computer labs in schools across Southern Province; among others. Over 200 scholarships are offered to Sri Lankan students to pursue higher-studies in India. Over 500 university students are extended financial assistance by India in their pursuit of academic courses in Sri Lanka.
