Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the foundation for creating a mentally mature and civilized citizen begins with the experiences gained during school life, and that the government\u2019s decision to ensure thirteen years of school education is intended to provide students with the opportunity to gain those valuable experiences.<\/p>\n
She made these remarks while addressing the award ceremony of the \u201c2024\/2025 All Island School Drama Competition,\u201d organized for the 30th time by the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation, held on May 15, 2026, at the Savsiripaya premises.<\/p>\n
Further commenting at the event, the Prime Minister said that whether school students win or lose in such competitions, the experiences they gain through involvement in arts and cultural activities contribute greatly not only to their personal lives, but also to building citizens with the values and attitudes needed for the country. However, she noted that there is currently a tendency among adults to rush children through school education and quickly push them into adulthood, which she described as unsuitable for developing the well-rounded citizens the country requires.<\/p>\n
Referring to the government\u2019s policy vision, \u201cA Prosperous Country, A Beautiful Life,\u201d the Prime Minister stated that significant transformations are needed in the country. She emphasized that the present economic, political, and social crises are deeply connected to human life and cannot be solved through laws alone. According to her, a meaningful change in social attitudes is also necessary.<\/p>\n
She further pointed out that the arts sector can play a major role in shaping individuals who are mentally and culturally developed. She stressed the importance of reforming the education system in order to create creative and complete citizens equipped with imagination, compassion, and leadership qualities needed by society.<\/p>\n
The Prime Minister also noted that not everyone who contributes to stage productions during school life becomes a professional artist, but the experiences gained through such involvement help shape them into creative and responsible members of society. She added that reading a good book or watching a meaningful film can positively influence the human mind and open doors to new ways of thinking, ultimately contributing to personal growth and the creation of a better society.<\/p>\n
She praised teachers and parents who work hard to provide children with these important life experiences, describing their contribution as invaluable to society. She further stated that the future leaders required by the country will emerge from a talented and emotionally intelligent younger generation, and that competitions such as these play an important role in creating that foundation.<\/p>\n
The event was also attended by Minister of Buddha Sasana, Religious and Cultural Affairs Dr. Hiniduma Sunil Senevi, Deputy Minister Kamakhedera Dissanayake, Prime Minister\u2019s Secretary Pradeep Saputhanthri, the Director General of the Tower Hall Theatre Foundation, ministry secretaries, and other government officials.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that the foundation for creating a mentally mature and civilized citizen begins with the experiences gained during school life, and that the government\u2019s decision to ensure thirteen years of school education is intended to provide students with the opportunity to gain those valuable experiences. She made these remarks while …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1368,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1367"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1367\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1370,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1367\/revisions\/1370"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tamilmail.lk\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}