The Federation of University Teachers’ Association (FUTA) has warned that university lecturers may reconsider their continued services to the education sector if the government fails to suspend and amend the newly issued Grade One admission circular.

Addressing the media, FUTA Media Spokesman Charudaththe Illangasinghe said the circular introduces conditions requiring professors involved in the formulation of state examination papers and evaluation of answer scripts to disclose this information to schools. 

He stressed that such identities are kept strictly confidential, even among lecturers themselves, and warned that forcing disclosure would compromise the secrecy and integrity of national examinations.

Illangasinghe noted that the move effectively restricts the admission of children of university lecturers, creating serious concerns within the academic community. 

FUTA has written to the President urging immediate suspension of the circular and correction of the criteria before re‑issuing it.

“If this is not done, we are holding discussions on whether university lecturers should continue their services to the education sector. We will be able to inform our decision within a week if the President does not intervene,” Illangasinghe said. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has announced that the official circular governing admissions of children to Grade One in government schools for the year 2027 will be published in government newspapers on Monday, June 29, 2026. 

The guidelines are contained in Circular No. 25/2026, which is now available on the official Ministry website at www.moe.gov.lk, where detailed instructions and procedures for Grade One admissions have been provided.

Sinhala Download: https://newswire.lk/pdf/25-2026-Si.pdf 

Tamil Download: https://newswire.lk/pdf/25-2026-Ta.pdf (Newswire)

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The Cabinet of Ministers has approved a proposal to issue a new circular governing the admission of children to Grade One in government schools, effective from 2027.

Each year, circular instructions are released to regulate admissions, with the aim of ensuring equal access to education, transparency, and minimizing irregularities. 

The new framework has been prepared by incorporating the views of the Bribery Commission, the Human Rights Commission, principals, and education authorities, while also aligning with ongoing education reforms.

According to the government, the updated guidelines are designed to strengthen fairness in school admissions and reduce malpractice, while safeguarding children’s right to education.

The proposal was presented by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya in her capacity as Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, and subsequently approved by the Cabinet. (Newswire)

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Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education Harini Amarasuriya announced in Parliament today (06) that student admissions to state universities for the 2025/2026 academic year will commence in the first week of September 2026.

She said that following the release of university cut‑off marks, all student registration lists will be forwarded to the respective universities by August 31, 2026. 

The exact dates for the start of courses will be determined individually by each university, she further said.

This year, 281,810 students sat for the Advanced Level Examination, of whom 176,538 qualified for university admission. 

PM Amarasuriya noted that out of them, 42,937 students are expected to be admitted to state universities.

She added that while the intake for first degree programs will not be increased this year, steps are being taken to expand facilities and ensure a more effective and quality education system for students. (Newswire)

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The Cabinet has approved the release of new circular instructions to regulate student admissions from Grade 2 to Grade 11, excluding Grades 5 and 6, under the education reforms that began in 2026.

The move comes after practical issues were reported in implementing Circular No. 27/2025, which was issued by the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education on September 9, 2025. 

The new guidelines are intended to resolve those challenges while maintaining the amendments introduced earlier.

The reforms aim to keep classroom student numbers within approved limits and formalize the admission process across schools.

The proposal was presented by the Prime Minister, in her capacity as Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, and received Cabinet approval. The new circulars will take effect from 2026 onwards. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education says the deadline for submitting student applications for Grade 6 admission through the online system has been extended, considering the disaster situation in Sri Lanka. 

Issuing a statement, the Ministry said that based on the re‑scrutinized results of the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination, principals have been informed about the extension of the deadline for submitting student applications for Grade 6 admission through the online system, as well as the timeline for appeals.

The re‑scrutinized results of the 2025 Grade 5 Scholarship Examination have now been released, and applications for students whose results have changed were called and entered into the online system by principals starting from November 26, 2025. 

Although it was earlier announced that the online submission facility would be deactivated after December 5, 2025, due to the prevailing disaster situation, this deadline has now been extended to December 12, 2025.

Furthermore, the first round of appeals for Grade 6 admissions in 2026 based on the 2025 Scholarship Examination results has not yet commenced, and messages circulating on social media in this regard are false. 

After the students selected in the first round are admitted to schools in January 2026, applications for appeals will be called online to fill the remaining vacancies, the Education Ministry added. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has issued a circular related to the admission of students to Grade 6 based on the results of the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination.

According to the ministry, this circular can be accessed via the website www.moe.gov.lk. (Newswire) 

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Cabinet approval has been granted to issue a new circular for admitting students from Grade 2 to Grade 11, excluding Grades 5 and 6.

The government stated that to implement the proposed education reforms, it is essential to maintain the number of students per classroom within approved limits.

Accordingly, it has been recognized that a proper mechanism should be introduced to allow student admissions to intermediate grades (excluding Grades 5 and 6), while affirming every child’s right to education.

Taking these factors into account, plans are underway to issue new circular guidelines that prioritize students who genuinely need to transfer from their current school to another due to various reasons, especially in intermediate grades.

Based on recommendations submitted by a subcommittee appointed by the Advisory Council of the Ministry of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Training, all previously issued circular guidelines related to student admissions from Grade 2 to Grade 11, excluding Grades 5 and 6, will be cancelled.

The Cabinet has approved the proposal submitted by Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, in her capacity as Minister of Education, to issue the new circular guidelines. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has announced the acceptance of applications for Grade 06 of state schools for the year 2025.

Issuing a statement, the Education Ministry said that the applications based on the 2024 Grade 05 Scholarship Exam results will be accepted online.

The applications will be accepted from today (09 Apr) until 30 April, via http://g6application.moe.gov.lk.

The Education Ministry states applications will be considered for a maximum of three (03) schools. 

Guidelines concerning the applications can be obtained at the Education Ministry’s official website, www.moe.gov.lk. (Newswire)

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A school principal has been remanded until 31 January for having solicited a bribe of Rs. 18,520, the cost of 10 cement bags, in exchange for providing Grade One admission.

The Colombo Magistrate’s Court remanded the principal of a school in Bandarawela who was arrested by the Bribery Commission and presented in court today.

After being informed by the Bribery Commission that investigations were underway into the incident, the court remanded the principal. 

It is reported that the school principal had instructed the complainant to pay the requested money at a store in front of the school to receive admission to the school. 

After being informed by the complainant that the money had been paid, the Bribery Commission arrested the principal. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has provided a clarification on recent claims made by a trade unionist from the Education Sector about admissions for school students and transfers of officials. 

The ministry said the admission of students to intermediate grades in government schools and government-approved private schools for 2024, as per the Education Ministry’s circular, has been concluded.

The Education Ministry further said that following the announcement of the presidential elections on 26 July, the issuance of admission letters for school students and transfers of officials was suspended. 

The ministry revealed that a trade unionist from the Education Sector was making false claims in this regard. (Newswire)

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The proposal to revise the current Education Ministry circular instructions for the admission of children to the first grade of schools in 2025 has received a Cabinet nod.

The government states the admission of children to the first grade of schools is done transparently and in a manner that minimizes irregularities.

The measures have been taken to ensure equal access to education consistent with the circular issued by the Ministry of Education.

Accordingly, the Cabinet approved the proposal presented by the Minister of Education to amend the current circular instructions based on the experience gained in the past years.

As such, it has also been approved to admit children to the first grade for the year 2025 and the following years according to the revised circular instructions. (Newswire)

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Admission of students to intermediate grades in government schools and government-approved private schools will not be based on sports skills, the Ministry of Education announced today.

Issuing a notice, the ministry said in future, admissions for intermediate grades would be granted only based on the instructions provided to schools via a ministry circular in this regard. 

The Education Ministry added that all school principals have been notified in this regard. (Newswire)

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A proposal to provide admission for local students for the medical degree programme at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University has received Cabinet approval. 

According to the government, the admission of local students for this medical programme will be offered starting this year.

The admission will be based on the student’s ‘Z score’ received at the GCE Advanced Level Examination and other relevant qualifications, while it will be provided on a payment basis. 

The Cabinet of Ministers has approved the proposal in this regard presented by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Defence Minister. (Newswire)

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The Ministry of Education has announced the opening of applications for school admissions based on the re-scrutinised results of the 2023 Grade Five Scholarship examination.

Issuing a statement, the Education Ministry said that the Department of Examinations has already released the re-scrutinised results of the relevant examination.

The ministry further said that accordingly, schools will open admissions for students based on the revised results.

Stating that application forms have already been issued to school principals, the ministry urged parents to obtain the form from the schools in which their children had sat for the scholarship examination. 

The Education Ministry added that the completed application forms must be returned to the school principal on or before March 07, 2024. (NewsWire)

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The Ministry of Education has announced that the ministry will not issue admission letters to enrol students in schools for the year 2024.

Issuing a statement, the Education Ministry said that admission of students for Grade 01 must be conducted as per the Ministry’s Circular issued in this regard, which instructs for applications to be sent to the required school after which the principal of the relevant school will conduct an interview and select the students. 

Enrollment of students to Grade 06 will be based on the results of the Grade 05 Scholarship Examination of the previous year.

Those seeking admissions in 2024 for other grades, including the GCE Advanced Level class, and exempting Grades 01, 05, and 06, are requested to send in their applications to the relevant school. 

Based on availability, principals of the relevant schools have been instructed by the Education Ministry to conduct interviews and select students, whose names must be forwarded to the Ministry for approval.

The Ministry reiterated that thereby, the Ministry will not issue letters of admission to enrol students for schools. (NewsWire)

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The Ministry of Education has issued a notice on the admission process of state and state-approved private schools in Sri Lanka for the year 2024. 

Accordingly, admission of children to Grade 1 will be conducted only in accordance with the circular issued by the Education Ministry, while the ministry will not be issuing letters of admission.

The Education Ministry further said school Principals will conduct interviews and grant admission to students.

Admission of children to Grade 6 will be based on the exam results of the Grade 5 Scholarship Examination. 

Students requiring admission to schools, except for Grades 1,5, and 6, are requested to hand in their filled application forms to the relevant school.

School principals are instructed to follow the ministry circular for admissions, conduct interviews and grant admission based on the vacancies in the school.

The Education Ministry further said that the list of selected students must thereafter be sent to the ministry for approval. (NewsWire)

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