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Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya’s education reforms, as suggested, are most welcome. In the reforms a great emphasis is placed on digital education, as stated in an article published in The Island of 20 July, 2026. It says “The reforms also place strong emphasis on digital education. As technology continues to shape every aspect of modern life, students need digital literacy to succeed in higher education and future careers. The Prime Minister has supported initiatives to expand the use of digital tools in teaching and learning, while encouraging schools to make greater use of educational technology. By promoting digital learning, the reforms seek to narrow the technological gap between schools and prepare students for a knowledge-based economy.” This article questions this proposition whether digitalization would bring equal access to all children and schools, particularly in the rural sector.
There are approximately 10,155 government schools, operating across the country. When factoring in private institutions and monastic schools (Piriven), the grand total expands to over 10,250 schools. Around 95% of all schools in Sri Lanka are located in provincially administered, rural areas. This translates to roughly 9,600 to 9,700 schools serving rural communities, accommodating more than three-quarters of the country’s entire student population. Would the digital learning system serve for rural schools and students better than the existing teacher centred system of education?
On a misty morning in Badulla, long before the sun has fully risen over the hills, a group of children can be seen walking along a narrow footpath that winds through tea bushes and eucalyptus trees. Their uniforms are neatly pressed, their shoes often worn thin, and their backpacks heavy with textbooks. Some walk alone, others in pairs, chatting softly as they make their way to a small school, perched on a ridge. The building is modest, its paint faded by years of rain and wind, but inside it holds something far more enduring than its physical structure: the human bond between teacher and student.
In this school, as in thousands of rural schools across Sri Lanka, teaching is not merely a profession. It is an act of service, a moral commitment, and often a lifeline for children whose futures depend on the strength of the relationships formed within these classrooms. As artificial intelligence sweeps across global education systems, promising efficiency, personalisation, and innovation, a powerful TED Talk, titled “Why AI Will Never Replace a Great Teacher,” offers a timely reminder for Sri Lanka. Technology may transform our classrooms, but it cannot replace the human heart of teaching. And nowhere is this truth more evident than in the rural schools that form the backbone of our national education landscape.
Rural Sri Lankan schools operate in environments where the teacher’s role extends far beyond the syllabus. In many villages, the school is the centre of community life, and the teacher is the first adult to notice when a child is anxious, discouraged, or silently struggling. Children arrive at school carrying the weight of family expectations, economic hardship, and social pressures. Some walk long distances, through fields or along dusty roads. Others come from homes where parents work abroad, leaving grandparents, or older siblings, to care for them. In such contexts, the teacher becomes the anchor of emotional stability. One teacher in the Uva Province described how she begins each day not with lessons, but with quiet conversations. “I ask them how they slept, whether they had breakfast, whether everything is okay at home,” she said. “Only after that do we open the books.” No machine, no matter how advanced, can replicate that sensitivity. AI may analyse performance data, but it cannot understand the emotional landscape of a rural classroom. It cannot sense the hesitation in a child’s voice, the fear behind a wrong answer, or the quiet pride when a student finally grasps a difficult concept.
Teaching is fundamentally a human relationship between the teacher and the student. This idea resonates deeply in Sri Lanka, where education has long been intertwined with cultural values, community identity, and moral development. Rural teachers often serve as role models, shaping not only academic achievement but also character and citizenship. They mediate conflicts, encourage cooperation, and guide students through ethical dilemmas. These responsibilities cannot be delegated to algorithms. AI may offer efficiency, but it cannot assume moral accountability for a child’s development. In rural communities, where schools often serve as stabilising institutions, the teacher’s presence carries a weight that technology cannot replace.
Artificial intelligence can analyse performance data, generate personalised exercises, and streamline administrative tasks. These tools can be immensely helpful, especially in rural schools where teachers often manage large classes with limited resources. But AI cannot walk into a child’s home to understand why homework was not completed. It cannot recognise the signs of malnutrition or emotional distress. It cannot adapt its teaching style to the cultural rhythms of a rural community. Only a human teacher can do these things, and in rural Sri Lanka, these responsibilities are not optional—they are essential.
Sri Lanka’s education system is undergoing a period of transition. The push for digital learning, smart classrooms, and AI-assisted assessments is gaining momentum. Policymakers envision a future where technology bridges gaps in access, quality, and equity. Yet the reality on the ground is far more complex. Rural schools face persistent challenges: inadequate infrastructure, limited internet connectivity, shortages of trained teachers, and disparities in resource allocation. In many villages, the idea of AIpowered education feels distant, even abstract. Computers may be available, but stable electricity is not. Digital platforms may exist, but students lack devices at home. In such contexts, the teacher remains the most reliable, consistent, and transformative force in a child’s educational journey.
One principal, in the North Central Province, explained that while his school received a set of computers, under a government initiative, they remain unused for most of the week. “We have the machines,” he said, “but the power cuts make it impossible to rely on them. And even when the power is stable, many children have never used a computer before. They need a teacher to guide them, not a machine to instruct them.”
This context becomes even more relevant when viewed through this lens. AI can support rural teachers, but it cannot replace them. It can help identify learning gaps, generate practice questions, and reduce the burden of repetitive tasks. But it cannot replace the human relationships that define rural education.
The moral dimension of teaching is particularly significant in rural Sri Lanka. Teachers are entrusted with shaping values, guiding behaviour, and fostering resilience. They help students navigate challenges that extend far beyond the classroom: They have to work through poverty, family conflict, social stigma, and limited opportunities. In many rural communities, the teacher is the first person to recognise a child’s potential and the only one to nurture it.
One story, from a school in the Eastern Province, illustrates this vividly. A young boy, quiet and withdrawn, struggled academically and socially. His father had left the family, and his mother worked long hours to support them. The boy often came to school without breakfast. His teacher noticed his declining performance and emotional withdrawal. Instead of reprimanding him, she began bringing extra food, spending time with him after school, and encouraging him gently. Over time, the boy’s confidence grew, and his academic performance improved. AI may offer data-driven insights, but it cannot provide hope, encouragement, or moral guidance. These are human gifts, and they form the foundation of rural education.
Danger of OverReliance on Technology
There is also a cautionary dimension to the conversation. Overreliance on AI risks turning education into a transactional process, where efficiency replaces empathy and personalisation replaces human connection. Sri Lankan rural schools have always been places where learning is social, communal, and deeply relational. Children learn not only from teachers but from peers, elders, and the environment around them. The warmth of a teacher’s encouragement, the shared laughter during a lesson, the collective pride in a school event—these experiences cannot be automated. If AI becomes the primary instructor, students may lose the very elements that make education meaningful.
A teacher in the Southern Province expressed concern that technology could widen existing inequalities. “Urban schools may benefit from AI,” she said, “but rural schools will be left behind. And if AI becomes the standard, our children will be judged against a system they cannot access.” Her words reflect a broader truth: technology must be adopted thoughtfully, ensuring that it strengthens rather than weakens the human relationships at the core of learning.
A Future of Partnership, Not Replacement The future of Sri Lankan education will undoubtedly involve AI. But the offers a reassuring vision: a future where technology enhances rather than replaces the teacher’s role. In rural schools, this partnership could be transformative. AI could help teachers manage large classes, personalise learning, and access resources that were previously unavailable. It could support students who need additional practice or reinforcement. It could assist in monitoring attendance, tracking progress, and identifying areas where intervention is needed. But it must always remain a tool—never a substitute for the human relationships that define rural education.Sri Lanka’s policymakers must recognise this balance. Investments in AI should be accompanied by investments in teacher training, infrastructure development, and community engagement. Rural teachers need support, not replacement. They need access to technology, but also professional development that empowers them to use it effectively. They need reliable internet, functional classrooms, and adequate teaching materials. Most importantly, they need recognition for the vital role they play in shaping the nation’s future.
The Irreplaceable Teacher AI can teach lessons, but only teachers can teach students—captures the essence of rural education in Sri Lanka. It reminds us that teaching is not a technical task but a human one. It is about forming relationships, building trust, and nurturing growth. It is about understanding the complexities of a child’s life and responding with compassion, creativity, and wisdom. AI may enhance these efforts, but it cannot replace the teachers.As Sri Lanka continues to modernise its education system, it must preserve the human essence of teaching. Rural schools are not just academic institutions; they are community pillars. They carry the hopes of families, the dreams of children, and the cultural heritage of villages. The teacher stands at the centre of this ecosystem, guiding students through challenges and celebrating their achievements. Technology can support this work, but it cannot replicate the human connection that makes it possible.The future of Sri Lankan education will be shaped not by machines but by people—by teachers who understand their students, communities that support their schools, and policymakers who recognise the irreplaceable value of human relationships. AI will play a role, but it will never replace the great teachers who bring learning to life in rural Sri Lanka. Their work is not only essential; it is irreplaceable.
In this context, meaningful educational reform in Sri Lanka hinges on a dual commitment: elevating the professional capacity of educators and systematically upgrading the physical infrastructure of regional institutions. Teachers serve as the primary catalyst for academic success, making continuous investment in their development essential. To raise standards across the island, educational policy must prioritise modern training frameworks that integrate contemporary instructional methodologies and digital literacy into classroom practice. Beyond technical training, fostering sustained academic excellence requires a supportive professional environment. When teachers receive institutional recognition, administrative backing, and ongoing encouragement, their engagement directly enhances classroom outcomes and helps retain high-caliber educators in underserved communities.
Concurrently, addressing persistent socio-economic inequalities requires a deliberate focus on rural schools, which constitute the vast majority of Sri Lanka’s educational landscape. A sharp divide remains between well-resourced urban centres and rural provinces, where inadequate facilities continue to hinder student potential. Achieving educational equity necessitates comprehensive upgrades to these rural learning spaces, beginning with the construction of well-designed, spacious classrooms that foster a safe and conducive learning environment. Moreover, these institutions must be equipped with essential academic tools, ranging from updated library collections and science equipment to modern instructional technology. Ensuring basic amenities, such as reliable electricity, clean water, and proper sanitation facilities, is equally vital for maintaining a healthy school environment. Elevating physical standards, while empowering teaching staff, ensures that quality education is no longer dictated by geography, creating a more resilient and equitable foundation for Sri Lanka’s future.
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The 2026 US midterm elections may have been the most globally watched American elections. The results have exceeded all expectations in America and in the world. The vote is a resounding slap to the American President, louder than the defeat of Viktor Orban in Hungary or that of Aleksander Vucic in Serbia. While Orban and Vucic were able to manipulate their political systems and stay in power for well over a decade, the US system has seen to it that Trump will be kept within his term limits. Yet the same system allows Trump to continue in office for two more hectic years. In a parliamentary system, Trump would have had to leave the White House the day after the vote. In any event, he will be gone in two years. What will happen till then is predictably unpredictable like the man himself.
How it matters for the rest of the world is reflected in the comment made by Austria’s Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger: “independent of the elections outcome, our security and prosperity in Austria and Europe must not depend on how people in Kansas or Iowa vote.” More than American voters, it may be Trump and Elon Musk who determine the security limits of America’s allies in Europe, through the satellite-based Starshield weapon system that Musk’s Space X company creates and supplies to the US government.
Around mid-October, allegedly at Trump’s behest, Musk is said to have remotely restricted Ukraine’s battlefield use of Starshield that Ukraine receives from the US government. According to Ukraine, the restriction that was done without notice weakened its capacity to ward off Russian drones. The news alarmed NATO allies and created a storm in Washington. Both Republican and Democrat lawmakers have been calling for investigation and accountability. The midterm results are a big impetus to kickstarting such an investigation.
There will be other investigations into the carnival of corruption that the Trump’s presidency has become in its second term. Musk himself will likely be subjected to intense scrutiny. His brutal approach to downsizing government and slashing USAID overseas will be one area that will be investigated. Another would be to find out how Musk’s businesses have benefited from laxed regulations and easy permits at the federal and state levels of government in the last two years.
Hoping to forestall Congress investigations, Musk bankrolled nearly half a billion dollars to protect his Republican guardians in Congress and in State governments. His gamble to control the course of politics has spectacularly backfired. Now it is up to Congress with its new electees to show that they can hold to account America’s powerful and the wealthiest, without burning itself in the process.
The midterm’s implications for the Iran war and its continuing economic havocs are not clear. There have been mixed reports on Trump’s intentions. One report is that a deal with Iran was 80% ready for signing before the midterm. According to another, Trump had advised Gulf States that he will resume a new round of attacks on Iran after the midterm. The midterm results have strengthened the opposition to the war among Republicans in Washington, with Vice President JD Vance, the consummate chameleon of contemporary American politics, squarely blaming the war for the Republican defeat. Not without the quiet concurrence of his boss.
Congress Republicans are also riling up to impeach Pete Hegseth, Trump’s handpicked and self-named Secretary of War, likely for incompetence and potential war crimes. Unless Hegseth resigns soon, the present House Republicans want him impeached before the end of the year and steal a political march on the new Congress led by Democrats that will take over in January. All of this puts President Trump in a bind and will force him to take a diplomatic route to end the war. For the rest of the world and for all Americans, the end of the war and the opening of the Strait of Hormuz cannot come any sooner. To their credit, American voters have made it clear that they do not want a resumption of attacks in the Middle East.
The midterm results are revelatory at multiple levels. They show American electoral democracy at work, in a country of 350 million people, synthesizing myriads of local variations and conflicts of age, gender, race, religion, education, employment and income into representational outcomes at the State and national levels. The spread and depth of electoral losses came as a shock to Republicans who were resigned to getting the usual midterm knuckle-rap against an incumbent president. Equally shocked are Democrats, not only by their majority margins in the House and in the Senate but also by their victories in States and Districts that they have not won in 30 to 100 years. Even where they lost, Democrats were only inches away, in American Football parlance, from scoring more touchdowns.
At the aggregate level, Democrats have outperformed to historic proportions, reaching the largest popular vote, and the largest House and Senate majorities, since the first post-Watergate election in 1974. Pundits are calling Trump’s midterm punishment as another watershed moment like the Watergate. The vote total for the House elections in all the States corresponds to 400 (out of 538) Electoral College votes in a hypothetical presidential election. The scale of defeat has stopped Trump from making baseless allegations about stolen elections and fraudulent voting. The magnitude of victory presents a new challenge to Democrats as they have to demonstrate to a restive electorate how different and better they will be in comparison to Trump’s Republicans.
Democrats have 215 seats and Republicans 220 seats in the current Congress and had to capture three Republican seats for a bare minimum majority of 218 (out of 435) seats in the next Congress. The tally now is Democrats 253 and Republicans 157, with 25 seats yet to be decided. So far, Democrats have flipped 43 Republican held seats. In the current Senate, there are 53 Republicans and 47 Democrats. With Senate elections held every two years for a third of the Senators every two years, Senate elections were held in 35 States, and Democrats had to win four new Senate seats for a majority of 51. They have captured seven so far, while prevailing in all the 13 States they now hold. The Senate tally is 54 Democrats and 44 Republicans with Alaska and Mississippi yet to be called. Democrats are leading in both and will likely have a comfortable majority of 56 Senators.
In both the House and Senate victories, Democrats made extensive inroads into hitherto Republican territories. Trump had won six of the seven flipped States in his three presidential runs in 2016, 2020 and 2024: Iowa and Ohio in the Midwest; and Kansas, Texas, North Carolina and South Carolina in the South. Democrats have not won statewide election since 1988 in Texas, and not since 1932 in Kansas. In addition to the House and the Senate, Democrats have also won a majority of the Governors’ elections in individual States along with elections to the State legislative bodies and local agencies.
Trump won the 2024 presidential election by attracting young male voters in very large numbers and significantly increasing the traditionally low Republican shares of white working class as well as Black and Latino voters. He won them over by vehemently promising to lower prices and make life affordable again; to take control of immigration and the borders; and to end the wars in Gaza and in Ukraine. Nothing has gone according Trump’s promises or plan, and the midterm results are comeuppance.
His Liberation Day tariffs have taken a toll on American consumers and caused trade precarities for the rest of the world. The war in Iran which he started on a whim has led to price increases in fuel and fertilizers everywhere, and they have hit rural Republican Americans harder than others in America. No one liked the violent crackdown on immigrants, especially Latin Americans who voted for him heavily in 2024. The indiscriminate apprehension of immigrants has created labour shortages in businesses, particularly in the construction industry. Americans across the board finally got disgusted with the level of corruption in the Trump Administration.
While rebuking and restraining the President, the midterm wave is also sending a new cross-section of representatives to Washington and to the State Capitals. The results show quite a number of historic firsts reflecting the diverse American society and rejecting the MAGA aversion to diversity. The most remarkable first is the election of a Muslim American as the US Senator from Michigan. Abdul El-Sayed, the American-born son of Egyptian American parents and highly accomplished Doctor of Medicine, convincingly won the Senate race in Michigan after withstanding a barrage of Islamophobic attacks from the US President at the top to every Republican hack below. According to Alvin Tillery of Northwestern University, “the simplest explanation is that the electorate finally caught up with the country.” In that sense, Trump and MAGA have been trying to fly in the face of the American reality. The midterm has stopped that in midflight.
Continue Reading Features The Sunset Years! Published
Staying away from elderly parents, being overseas or in a different city in India itself, gives rise to that familiar worrisome feeling, a constant sense of anxiety lurking at the back of the mind, along with a lingering sense of guilt for having left them behind in the first place.
Shrinking families, vanishing support systems and busy careers, often result in parents being left to fend for themselves in large houses that pose a security threat, or in apartments with temperamental neighbors and cantankerous housing societies. Thousands of young Indians, either emigrating or changing cities each year for higher education, lucrative jobs or a better lifestyle, are forced to leave behind their greatest treasure – their elderly parents with broad smiles and cheerful exteriors, who hide behind their moist eyes untold stories of loneliness, anxiety, fear and uncertainty that they would rather not share with their children.
Apart from loneliness and the anxiety of being separated, times of illness and emergencies make even simple chores like going to the bank, standing in a queue for a gas cylinder or paying a bill a big challenge, going to the doctor or a dentist becomes an ordeal. Suffering from painful separation, lacking emotional support coupled with physical insecurity, both parents and children live on the hope of reuniting in the foreseeable future, only to find it more and more difficult as the years go by.
However, some children choose to return and do come back to stay with their parents either on a different floor of the same house or in an adjoining floor of a block of flats in the same building. This not only gives elderly parents a facade of independent living yet enables keeping an eye on them to assist them as and when required .
Life rolls on, time flies and very soon, since parents normally do not outlive their children, you have the reverse of the “empty nest ” syndrome. With the passing of the parents it is the children’s turn now to be left alone and face that peculiar emptiness in their lives! They face a void, the anchors that influenced their lives are now gone, their ample presence had been felt on numerous occasions in different ways, actually their proximity had been enough for they knew parents were always there for them. With the parent’s house verily becoming a shrine, simply going back to the house gives rise to a strange indescribable yet painful vacuum, a feeling of emptiness and a realization that they now need to pick up the threads and face the world with fortitude, all by themselves.
While we often hear of elderly parents being left alone and pining for company, there are countless loving and dutiful children who change countries, even cities, sacrificing lucrative careers in the process, to support their parents in their sunset years. Now its the children who have become alone, and got left behind with the burden of memories, an empty shrine to cater to and for a comparatively longer time then the period they joyfully enjoyed with their elderly parents. These children too deserve empathy, do spare a thought for them!
(Priyan R Naik is an author, columnist and independent journalist based in Bengaluru, India and regularly writes columns for Indian, Laotian, Bangladeshi and Malaysian newspapers.)
Floral artistry will lend its beauty to a charitable cause when Ikebana International Sri Lanka Chapter No. 262 holds its annual exhibition, “Blossoms of Hope”, on November 14 and 15 at the Duke’s Rooms, Cinnamon Lakeside.
The exhibition will feature arrangements individually created by members, showcasing their talent in the ancient Japanese art of ikebana. Part of the proceeds will go towards purchasing medication for the Children’s Ward at Apeksha Cancer Hospital, Maharagama.
This year’s exhibits will be grouped by flower type, allowing visitors to discover the different ways members interpret their chosen blooms. Each arrangement will reflect its creator’s approach to composition, bringing together the character of the flowers and the expressive possibilities of ikebana.
With careful attention to line, balance and space, ikebana encourages an appreciation of each element in an arrangement. A branch’s curve, a flower’s angle or the placement of a leaf can all contribute to the overall effect. There will be demonstrations by members held on both days at 4.00 p.m.
The tradition traces its roots to floral offerings at Buddhist altars after Buddhism was introduced to Japan in the sixth century. Over time, these offerings developed into an independent art form. Today, ikebana embraces both established forms and contemporary interpretations.
“Blossoms of Hope” will offer visitors an opportunity to experience this living tradition through the work of the chapter’s members. Its charitable purpose adds a further dimension to the exhibition, connecting the pleasure of viewing flowers with support for children receiving care at Apeksha Cancer Hospital.
The exhibition will be open on November 14 from 11.00 a.m. to 7.00 p.m. and on November 15 from 10.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., at the Duke’s Rooms, Cinnamon Lakeside
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