• Points out that such will congest overcrowded urban schools  

The Ceylon Principals’ Union (CPU) stated that any move to shut down schools with fewer students and enroll their students in other schools will further increase congestion in already overcrowded urban schools.

Commenting on the Government's reported plan to close more than 1,000 schools across the country with fewer than 50 students, the CPU President, Piyasiri Fernando told The Daily Morning that shutting down small schools is not a solution to any issue. 

“Closing schools is not a solution. Simply gathering more children into larger schools will not be successful. The best approach is to develop existing small schools so that children remain in their local schools, instead of seeking admission in city schools,” he said.

He warned that admitting children from rural schools into urban schools will worsen the situation. “Even now, most schools in cities are congested. Studies have shown that many classrooms already exceed the recommended number of students. If some schools are closed and these students are added to already crowded classrooms, there will be problems everywhere. We totally agree that there should be education reforms, but, they should serve the interests of the students and their parents.”

Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Nalaka Kaluwewa was not available for comment.

The planned closures are part of proposed education reforms, which are to be implemented from January of next year (2026). Out of the 10,194 schools island-wide, it was reported that a total of 1,486 have fewer than 50 students on roll. The Northern Province has the highest number of such schools (275), followed by the Central Province (240) and the Sabaragamuwa Province (230). The Southern Province has 125, the Eastern Province 141, the North Western Province 133, the North Central Province 111, the Uva Province 158, and the Western Province 73. The relevant authorities have indicated that steps would be taken to close schools with low enrolment and relocate students to nearby schools.