Sri Lanka: School Lesson Linked to Gay Dating Site Sparks Outrage

A criminal investigation is underway in Sri Lanka after it was revealed that a hyperlink in a school English learning program for 11 and 12-year-old students linked to a gay dating site.

The Ministry of Education has filed a complaint and launched an internal investigation. Education Minister Nalaka Kaluwegewe suspects sabotage and a possible attempt to delay educational reforms.

The program encouraged students to find pen pals through the website buddy.net, which is a dating site for men. Authorities have requested that access to the website be blocked.

The 165-page program had been reviewed by three teams, but the error was not detected. The page has been removed from the 400,000 copies. The program also contained spelling errors and was created with the help of artificial intelligence websites.

Manjula Vitanapathirana, director of the National Institute of Education, has resigned pending the outcome of the investigation.