General

The Ministry of Education has announced that the second phase of the third school term will start tomorrow, December 16. This phase had been delayed because of the disaster situation in Sri Lanka. All schools in the Western, Southern, Northern, North Central, Eastern, and Sabaragamuwa Provinces will reopen as scheduled. However, 640 schools in the Uva, Central, and North Western provinces, which suffered greatly from poor weather, will remain closed. The second phase will last from tomorrow until December 22. Following this, students will have Christmas holidays from December 23 to December 28. Schools will then open again on December 29 for the third phase of the term, which will run until December 31, marking the end of academic activities for this term. For students attending Muslim schools, the new term starting tomorrow will continue without interruption until January 2, meaning they will not have Christmas holidays. These students are also expected to attend school on Saturday, December 27. In addition, the Ministry has instructed that schools with hostels should provide temporary housing for students coming from remote areas who are having trouble with transportation due to the disaster. Students from affected schools or those facing transport issues should have the option to study at the nearest school without any fees for temporary admission.