The Ministry of Education has taken steps to remove controversial and inappropriate content from the sixth grade English module before distributing the books to schools, Sri Lanka Latest News reports.
Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa, confirmed that the sections in question, introduced under the new education reforms, will be removed, and the revised books will be distributed in the near future.
It is reported that over Rs. 60 million has been spent on printing 350,000 copies of this module. The Secretary emphasized that all these books, which are currently stored safely in warehouses in Colombo, have not yet been released to schools.
The remaining copies will be distributed only after the inappropriate content is removed. A special set of instructions will also be issued to guide teachers on this matter.
Ulapane Sumangala Thero, Convener of the Education Professionals Association, strongly criticized the module’s content. The Venerable claims that one of the lessons encourages readers to visit a website promoting homosexual activities and providing further instructions.
It is suspected that the inclusion of these sections may have resulted from a deliberate conspiracy.
Secretary Kaluwewa has lodged a complaint with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on the 31st to investigate the matter. In addition, several teachers’ associations have filed complaints, prompting the CID to initiate a comprehensive investigation.
