2026 school activities to continue under revised plan: Ministry

Colombo, Jan. 14 (Daily Mirror) - The Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education Ministry has announced that school education activities for 2026 will proceed under revised arrangements, following decisions made at the Cabinet meeting on January 13, 2026.

Accordingly, school activities will resume from January 21, 2026, incorporating key measures linked to the proposed new education reforms. Formal academic activities for the new Grade 1 curriculum, scheduled to be introduced in 2026, will begin on January 29, as previously instructed.

The Cabinet has decided to postpone the implementation of the new Grade 6 syllabus until 2027. Grade 6 students will continue with the syllabus used in previous years, primarily using textbooks from the prior year. School principals have been instructed to manage the collection and redistribution of these textbooks, while new copies will only be printed as necessary. Soft copies will also be made available via the Ministry’s ‘e-Thaksalawa’ platform.

For the year 2026, schools from Grade 6 to Grade 13 will follow a timetable of eight daily periods, each lasting 40 minutes, in line with previous arrangements. In addition, a pilot project introducing modules connected to the new education reforms will be implemented in several provinces, with further details to be announced. Modules prepared for Grade 6 will be reviewed for use in the following year.

Teacher training programmes linked to the reforms will continue throughout 2026. Other key initiatives, including human resource development, infrastructure improvements, administrative reforms, assessment enhancements, and public awareness campaigns, will also be implemented continuously during the year.

The Ministry further said that the concept paper, curriculum framework, and all modules prepared so far will be made publicly available for discussion. A circular outlining these decisions is expected to be issued shortly.

Issuing the announcement, Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa, commended Provincial and Zonal Education Authorities, school principals, teachers, and officials for their dedication in implementing teacher training and related activities, expressing confidence in their continued support to ensure the success of the new education reforms.