Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe defended his recent remarks in Parliament, claiming that his comments about the term “buddy” were based on content found in the Grade 11 ICT textbook, not personal expertise.
“I’m not an expert on this subject,” Jayasinghe said. “I was referring to a lesson on page 77 of the textbook, which explains how to send messages. It includes a mention of the word ‘buddy’ as one of the tools used.”
He said he had referenced what appears online when searching for the word “buddy” and listed several results for the search query “buddy”.
He said that one of these links directed to the controversial website which had been included in the Grade 6 English module.
“There’s a group outside, including YouTubers and social media teams of around 25 to 30 people, who questioned my technical knowledge. I don’t have much technical expertise, but after teachers pointed it out, I searched the term online,” he added.
Jayasinghe cited a Forbes article claiming that another link found in the Grade 11 ICT textbook had been flagged as a potential connection to child abuse, particularly involving children aged 3 to 12. He said that the textbook was published during the tenure of the Ranil-Maithri-Sajith government.
“For more than 10 years, no one noticed this link in the Grade 11 textbook,” he said.
Deputy Minister Mahinda Jayasinghe came under scrutiny for linking content from two different school textbooks during a parliamentary session, commenting on controversial web links in educational materials.
Jayasinghe claimed that the Grade 11 ICT textbook from 2015 included a link related to the term “buddy,” and said the book was introduced under the Maithri–Ranil–Sajith administration and is still in use.
However, opposition MP Rohini Wijerathna clarified that he had confused two separate cases: the ICT textbook contains the link “ebuddy.net,” which refers to a messaging app, while the Grade 6 English module includes a different link that leads to an adult chat site, she said.
The controversy centers on the inclusion of inappropriate web links in school materials, with Jayasinghe associating the link from the English module with the Grade 11 textbook.
However, the Minister’s public speech detailing the web links has drawn criticism, with critics saying it unnecessarily promoted inappropriate and potentially harmful content. (Newswire)