Tracking delivery on manifesto promises

Reform the National Film Corporation and establish a National Film Institute.

Why this status: Cabinet approved instructions to draft a Bill repealing the National Film Corporation Act and creating a National Cinema Council with modern regulatory and cinema-promotion functions. That is substantial, official progress on reforming the Corporation, but the Bill is not yet an enacted reform and the evidence does not show a National Film Institute has been established.

Establish a research fund for the literary arts sector and organize annual international research sessions.

Why this status: The government adopted an official cultural policy or ministerial function that repeats this commitment as a key activity. This is evidence of a live implementation direction, but the source does not prove nationwide completion, so the promise remains in the works.

Provide tax exemptions to various art sectors on selected materials and equipment, such as paper.

Why this status: The government adopted an official cultural policy or ministerial function that repeats this commitment as a key activity. This is evidence of a live implementation direction, but the source does not prove nationwide completion, so the promise remains in the works.

Regulate all health services, including private medical services, to ensure the delivery of high-quality healthcare to patients.

Why this status: The Health Ministry’s 2025 action plan includes strengthening private-health regulation, updated guidelines, a grading system for private medical institutions, accreditation, and worker qualification standards. These are substantial implementation steps, but the documentation is a plan and does not prove that all health services are already effectively regulated.

Cluster health institutions into primary care institutions (base hospitals), secondary care institutions (general hospitals), and tertiary care institutions (teaching hospitals) to ensure effective and continuous care.

Why this status: The government has begun a phased expansion of primary care and Cabinet has approved 1,000 Arogya Health and Wellness Centres for 2026–28, taking the primary-care network to 2,000 institutions. This supports the promised health-system reorganisation, but no official record yet confirms that all hospitals have been formally clustered into the exact primary, secondary and tertiary structure promised.

Implement online registration for medical appointments in health services institutions.

Why this status: There is genuine but limited implementation. The Ministry's 2025 hospital-quality manual directs facilities to establish online appointment systems where possible, and Teaching Hospital Badulla operates a live online OPD booking portal. This demonstrates the promised model in a public health institution, but the evidence does not establish a national rollout across health-service institutions; the pledge is therefore underway rather than kept.

Establish a dedicated university for postgraduate research and development.

Why this status: The official higher-education policy explicitly commits to establishing a university for postgraduate research and development. No evidence in this source demonstrates that the university has been established, so it remains in the works.

Establish special units in every tertiary education institution to enhance basic qualifications, including English language skills, for students pursuing postgraduate education in international universities, and to foster relationships for securing such opportunities.

Why this status: The Ministry's progress report says the government expects to establish special units in every tertiary institution for foundational qualifications including English and international postgraduate opportunities. The UGC's 2025–2029 plan separately commits targeted funding for English courses. Both are implementation signals, but neither source confirms that the promised units are operating at every institution.

Establish a Vocational Education Regulatory Department staffed by professionals to advise on qualitative and quantitative changes in the vocational education sector, considering job market demands and global trends.

Why this status: The Ministry of Education's published reform programme says a vocational education regulatory bureau will be set up with industry and education professionals to advise on changes responsive to job-market and global trends. This closely matches the pledge, but the source frames it as a future action rather than evidence that the regulatory body is operating.

Establish a National University of Education by merging all existing Colleges of Education and Teacher Training Colleges.

Why this status: Under way. The Education Ministry reports Cabinet approval to establish the Sri Lanka University of Education. This is a material step toward the pledged merger of Colleges of Education and Teacher Training Colleges, but the reviewed evidence does not establish that the merger and national university are already operational.

Establish a fully equipped Curriculum Development Unit within the National Institute of Education.

Why this status: The government’s official education policy explicitly commits to establishing a fully equipped Curriculum Development Unit within the National Institute of Education. This is a live policy direction, but the source does not prove the unit is operational.

Implement an annual school calendar to ensure national examination evaluation activities are completed within one month and results are provided within two months of the exam.

Why this status: Under way. The Government announced steps to restore the normal school year and examination schedule from 2026 after completing the 2025 school year in December. This addresses the annual-calendar component, but the reviewed source does not demonstrate the pledge's specific one-month marking and two-month results deadlines.

Establish a junior and senior secondary school system where each covers 2 or 3 primary schools, considering population and geographical location.

Why this status: The proposed junior/senior secondary structure is now a stated strategy in the 2026–2030 Public Investment Programme, including coverage of two or three primary schools with population density and geography considered. However, the official programme provides the direction rather than evidence that the new school system has been established nationwide. It remains in implementation.

Establish a formal national institute and a branch system for training Early Childhood Development professionals.

Why this status: The national STEP UP early-childhood programme has begun introducing quality standards and national training for early-childhood educators, and distributed specialised resources to 900 centres. This directly advances professional development, but it does not establish the formal national institute and branch system promised.

Increase public investment in the education sector, gradually raising the allocation to education as a percentage of the gross domestic product up to 6%.

Why this status: Under way. The Government reports an education allocation of 2.04 percent of GDP for 2025, describes it as the first step in a gradual path, and says further progress is planned in 2026 and 2027. This shows movement toward the 6 percent electoral-term target, but the current allocation remains well below it.