Economics or entrepreneurship must serve humanity, not just wealth PM
July 19, 2025 08:31 am
The Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya, stated that despite societal tendencies to prioritize monetary value, economics and entrepreneurship should be disciplines rooted in humanity, and the concept of a “care economy” serves as a good example of this approach.
The Prime Minister made these remarks while participating in a program held yesterday (18) at the Ministry of Education to inform officials about the development of modules for financial literacy and entrepreneurship, which are included as subjects under the new educational reforms, according to the Prime Minister’s Media Division.
Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka, Senior Professor Harendra Dissabandara, shared his insights on the current state of financial literacy in Sri Lanka and the way forward, and the Chairman of the Colombo Stock Exchange, Dimuthu Abeysekara, expressed his views on the financial literacy activities in the country.
Further addressing the event, Minister of Education, Higher Education, and Vocational Education, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated:
“We clearly see that your support and blessings have contributed to the new education reforms we are trying to implement. As the Ministry of Education, this brings great strength, and these reforms are more than just curriculum changes.
What we need is a developed society—not just economically, but spiritually and ethically as well. Wealth is not just about money.
In that sense, the transformation we are trying to bring about through education is deeply significant.
The theft, corruption, and fraud we see in today’s society are not committed by people lacking subject knowledge but by those who know the subject very well. That is why it has been so hard to address. Therefore, we must learn financial literacy and entrepreneurship together with human values, to develop them as ethical disciplines. What we need are entrepreneurs who love the environment, society, and have compassion for one another.”
The Prime Minister further emphasized the importance of considering what state society would fall into if women were only engaged in financially valuable work, the statement added.
Addressing the event, the Deputy Minister of Labour and Economic Development, Professor Anil Jayantha Fernando, added:
“Incorporating financial literacy into school education is extremely important. Many people fall victim to pyramid-like financial scams due to a lack of proper understanding. Therefore, the public must have a strong grasp of financial literacy. It is often those with high financial literacy who carry out financial fraud. Along with subject knowledge, we need to empower society with values to manage this situation.”
The event was attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Education, Nalaka Kaluwawa; officials from the Ministry of Finance; the Securities and Exchange Commission of Sri Lanka; the Colombo Stock Exchange; and other institutional representatives.
