Tracking delivery on manifesto promises

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.