November 24, Colombo (LNW): The United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, held talks with Prime Minister Dr Harini Amarasuriya at Parliament, focusing largely on expanding cooperation in education and cultural engagement.
According to the Prime Minister’s Media Division, Ambassador Chung spoke warmly of the ongoing work of the Peace Corps and a range of joint programmes that have helped strengthen ties between the two countries.
She highlighted the longstanding impact of the Fulbright exchange initiative, which enables students, researchers, and academics from more than 160 nations to pursue study, teaching, and collaborative research in the United States—an effort aimed at cultivating global understanding.
Prime Minister Amarasuriya, in turn, outlined Sri Lanka’s current push to modernise its education system. She noted that the country is seeking specialised expertise to assist reforms across the Ministry of Education, the Department of Examinations, and the National Institute of Education.
The government’s aim, she said, is to move away from an exam-heavy culture and towards more interactive learning methods that prioritise critical thinking, creativity, and continuous assessment.
She also underscored the value of nurturing early-career academics whose fields of study align with Sri Lanka’s long-term development goals, suggesting that international exchange programmes could play a greater role in helping such scholars thrive.
Senior representatives from both nations participated in the discussion. The US delegation included Public Affairs Officer Menaka Nayyar, Dr Patrick McNamara of the US–Sri Lanka Fulbright Commission, and Professor Prabha Manuratne of the University Grants Commission. On the Sri Lankan side, Additional Secretary Sagarika Bogahawatta and Pramuditha Manusighe from the Foreign Affairs Ministry attended the meeting.
