Government Circulars
Circulars decide transfers, promotions, salary steps and much of what happens in a school year. Here is where the official ones live, and how to read them.
Read this before relying on anything here
This is a signpost, not an authority. RCF English is not a government body and cannot advise on service matters. For anything affecting your appointment, salary, transfer or promotion, the circular itself and your zonal or provincial office are the only reliable sources.
Circulars are superseded constantly. A circular that was correct last year may have been replaced, amended or withdrawn. That is why this page links to the official index, which is always current, rather than to individual documents that move or go stale.
Always check the date and the number before acting on any circular you find - including one a colleague forwards you.
The official sources
Ministry of Education circulars
The complete, current list of Ministry circulars, newest first, with a search box. This is the page to bookmark.
- Searchable by circular name
- Sinhala, Tamil and English
- Always the current version
Ministry of Public Administration
Circulars that apply to all public servants, not only teachers: salaries, pensions, leave, allowances and general conditions of service.
- Applies to teachers as public officers
- Salary and pension matters
- General service conditions
How circular numbers work
A Ministry circular is identified by a number and a year, written as number/year - for example 35/2025. The number is the sequence within that year, not a subject code, so 35/2025 tells you nothing about the topic; you have to read the title.
Two things follow from this, and both catch teachers out.
- A circular issued in one year often governs the following year. Circular 35/2025 sets the transfer procedure for 2026. Always read the year in the title, not just the year in the number.
- Amendments carry a bracketed suffix, such as 32/2025(i). The suffixed version amends the original; you need both to know what currently applies.
- A newer circular can silently replace an older one without the old one being taken down. If two circulars conflict, the later date wins - but check the index rather than assuming.
The kinds of circular that affect teachers most
| Type | What it covers | Example seen on the index |
|---|---|---|
| Annual transfer schemes | Who may apply, the closing dates, the marking criteria and the appeal procedure. Issued yearly, usually the year before they take effect. | Annual Transfer Procedure, Officers of the Sri Lanka Teacher Educators' Service - 2026 (35/2025) |
| Service and administrative transfers | Transfers within the Education Administrative Service, by grade. | Annual Transfer Scheme of the Sri Lanka Education Administrative Service - 2027, Grades I, II and III (23/2026) |
| Efficiency bars | The examinations and conditions for passing an efficiency bar, which gates salary progression. | Regarding the First Efficiency Bar of the Teacher Advisor Service (32/2025(i)) - note the amendment suffix |
| Recruitment and qualifications | Entry requirements, including language proficiency requirements for teacher service regulations. | Circular 06/2025, on bridge language proficiency requirements |
| School administration | Admissions, the school calendar, examinations and day-to-day school operation. | Admitting children to grade one in schools (25/2026) |
Is there a separate circular series for English teachers?
No. The Ministry's circulars are numbered in one sequence and are not divided by subject, so there is no English-teachers' circular list to look for. What affects you as an English teacher is the same set of service circulars that affects every other teacher.
What is subject-specific comes from elsewhere: syllabuses and teachers' guides from the National Institute of Education, textbooks from the Educational Publications Department, and examination instructions from the Department of Examinations. Those are on the official links page.
So: search the circular index for service matters, and go to the NIE and EPD for anything about what and how you teach.
Finding the circular you actually need
Start at the index, not a search engine
Open the Ministry circulars page. A web search will often surface an old copy of a superseded circular on a forwarding site, which is exactly the mistake to avoid.
Search by a word from the title
The index has a search box that filters by circular name. Try transfer, efficiency, promotion, admission rather than a number you half-remember.
Check the year inside the title
A transfer circular issued in 2025 may govern 2026 or 2027. The year that matters is the one in the title, not the one in the number.
Look for an amendment
Search the same keyword again for a bracketed version - (i), (ii) - which amends the original. Read both.
Note the number and date before you act
Write both down. If you later need to raise a query with your zonal office, the number and date are the first things you will be asked for.
Confirm with your zonal or provincial office
For anything that affects your own service record, confirm the interpretation with the office that will process it. A circular tells you the rule; the office tells you how it applies to your case.
Related pages
Important links for teachers
Teacher service, transfers, promotions, training and syllabus sources.
Examination links for students
Timetables, results and the Department of Examinations.
Teacher Resources
Lesson planning, worksheets and classroom support.