A special Student Parliament meeting for Visakha Vidyalaya, Colombo, was organized at the Old Parliament Chamber of the Presidential Secretariat under a series of programmes organized for schoolchildren by the Presidential Secretariat, the Ministry of Education, and the Sri Lanka Parliament Department of Communication. The meeting was held under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, giving students the chance to discuss governance and national projects.
In the course of the session, Visakha Vidyalaya student parliamentarians were taken through the idea and utilitarian value of the 'Clean Sri Lanka' movement. One of the event's major highlights was that a special commemorative issue of the 'Vision' magazine dedicated to the student Parliament movement was officially handed over to the Prime Minister by Nadeeka Dangolla, Assistant Director of Parliamentary Affairs and Executive Functions. In addition to this, Visakha Vidyalaya's Principal Mrs. Manomi Seneviratne also gifted Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya a special commemorative token.
The Prime Minister, in his address to the audience, pointed out the government's determination to enforce new education reforms which would raise a generation strong enough to capture economic opportunities. She reaffirmed that these reforms aim not only to bring education in line with the needs of the job market but also to develop talented young people who will be able to contribute to the economy and give leadership to society. The Prime Minister also emphasized making Sri Lankan children capable of gaining world knowledge while building a self-dependent and empowered next generation. She reiterated the commitment of the government to correcting resource imbalances between schools and stressed the importance of civic duty in this work.
Speaker Dr. Jagath Wickramaratne, in his address to the students, reiterated the importance of selfless leadership. He underlined that great leaders put the interests of the nation ahead of personal interests and act as beacon lights for the nation. Referencing historical precedents, he exhorted the students to draw lessons from the past and imbibe the values required to lead with integrity and accountability. He underlined that a country flourishes when leaders arise with minimum personal indulgence and an extreme commitment to their people.
Senior Presidential Media Advisor Mr. Chandana Sooriyabandara urged students to identify themselves as leaders, adding that leadership is not age-specific. He clarified that anyone who represents a group and takes collective responsibility is a leader. Referring to Sri Lanka's history, he noted that those who contributed immensely through their words and actions played crucial leadership roles. He encouraged the students to use logical thinking in decision-making, emphasizing that both citizens and leaders have the responsibility of creating a successful nation through rational thinking.
Deputy Speaker Dr. Rizvie Salih, Deputy Chairperson of Committees Hemali Weerasekara, Parliament Secretary-General Kushani Rohanadeera, Senior Additional Secretary to the President K.M.N. Kumarasinghe, Director-General of Legal Affairs to the President J.M. Wijebandara, Visakha Vidyalaya Principal Manomi Seneviratne, and several members of teaching staff and students were present on the occasion. The session was an important forum where young minds got to interact with national leaders and learn more about governance and civic duty.
