A cabinet paper was approved to shift a part of the A/L section of Devi Balika Vidyalaya, Colombo 8 to Udahamulla Sri Wijayarama Vidyalaya. A vast majority of the well-wishers of the school, including past pupils, former principals & teachers as well as parents, are against this proposal. Devi Balika Protection Front represents all of them. 

A private organisation Dhammika Preshila Foundation, which belongs to a business tycoon in Sri Lanka has offered to sponsor the project by donating 100mn. However, there are huge concerns:

• Lack of policy to substantiate the project
• Absence of a feasibility study report or a project plan 
• The impracticality of using the private school model in state schools
• Administration issues of having two separate locations that are 10km apart from each other
• Businessman directly intervening in decisions on the public schools
• Private capital penetration to destroy free education in the country

It must be noted that the Minister of Education stated in the parliament that this is not a decision backed by a policy reform but is a one-off project to meet the requests of parents who wished to enrol their daughters at Devi.

The Secretary to the Governor of the Western Province requested from the Provincial Director of Education, a feasibility study report in a letter dated 18/03/2021. Surprisingly, in a letter dated 19/03/2021 (the very next day) the Governor approved the proposed project without a feasibility report. 

There is a special committee for educational reforms but this "pilot" project is rushed even before the committee issue their report of recommendations.

We the DBPF, represent not only Devi Balika but also Wijayarama Maha Vidyalaya which is the other affected party of this project. The school currently has very talented students who have won international awards and they are being re-allocated against their wish to other schools to free up the premises to establish the so-called branch of Devi Balika. 

As responsible citizens and products of free education, we vehemently condemn this project. We request everyone who has an interest in safeguarding free education in the country to join hands with us to stop businessmen from interfering in the public school system and also to demand policy-driven, well planned educational reforms. 

We urge the President, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Education and the first lady to immediately intervene and stop this unlawful act.