The Ministry of Education, Higher Education and Vocational Education has issued a new circular strictly prohibiting corporal punishment and any form of physical or psychological harm against students in schools.
Circular No. 11/2026, titled “Maintaining Discipline in Schools,” was released on March 30, 2026, following a directive from the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka. The circular is based on the Court’s judgment delivered on July 7, 2025, in relation to Case No. 461/2012 (FR), which instructed the Secretary of Education to take appropriate action.
The directive has been circulated among key education authorities, including Provincial Secretaries, Provincial and Zonal Directors of Education, Divisional and Assistant Directors, Heads of Pirivenas, and Principals of government and government-approved private schools.
The Ministry further emphasized that, alongside the existing guidelines outlined in Circular No. 12/2016 on maintaining school discipline, special attention must be given to Paragraph 17 of the Supreme Court judgment when addressing disciplinary matters in schools.
