E-learning and other technological advancements have been highlighted by Minister of Education Akila Viraj Kariyawasam as a viable option for conducting classes in areas with shortages of teachers.

Moreover, he noted that the use of tablets could address government spending on the printing of textbooks for children.

State Minister of Finance Eran Wickramaratne emphasised the need to improve the quality of education, stating that “children must be taught how to think and not what to think.”

A “recurring” shortcoming that he observed in the current system is that the amount allocated to education is not fully utilised.

Wickramaratne also stressed the importance of developing a curriculum that can be beneficial to children as a means of income later in life.