Sri Lanka, Oct. 22 -- The Minister of Education, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, has confirmed a substantial shortfall of 36,178 teaching staff across Sri Lanka's national and provincial schools.

The Prime Minister revealed the figures yesterday (21) in Parliament while responding to a question from Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa.

The country's national schools currently account for 1,501 of the unfilled posts.

The remaining vacancies are spread across the provincial school system, with the Eastern Province reporting the highest need at 6,613 positions.

The Central Province follows closely with a gap of 6,318 teachers.

Other provinces also face significant shortages:

Western Province: 4,630

Sabaragamuwa: 3,994

Northern Prov...