Archives

Education Minister debunks charge on free education

by Kahawa special correspondent

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga's allegation that the government has written off expenditure on education in order to curb free education at a time when expenditure had increased by two-hundred billion is baseless and inaccurate," Education, Cultural Affairs and Human Resources Minister Dr. Karunasena Kodituwakku said on Thursday at Balapitiya.

The Minister was participating at the annual prize-giving of the Revatha National School, Balapitiya for the year 2001.

"The government never wasted a single cent of allocations for expenditure on free education and I say it with responsibility," the Minister stressed.

"When I questioned her on the matter at Wednesday's Cabinet meeting she replied that she was told by the school principals when they were called on by her," he further said.

Vajira Abeywardena, Minister of State Administration and Administrative Reforms presided over the meeting.

Only 12,500 of university admission seekers can get admission to universities a year," the Minister said.

Extremist groups are engaged in a bid to close down universities, misleading students by saying that the government is in a bid to curb free education," he said.

"All the schools in the island except for 326, are directly under the control of Provincial Councils," he said. But people who are unaware of this situation blame the government, he added.

When I tried to open one more Year I class in a school in Kaduwela recently, it was prohibited by the Provincial Chief Minister with a written order.

"This is the reality," Minister Kodituwakku said.

It was for me as the Education Minister of the Central Government and what else may be the situation elsewhere" he questioned.

What is the purpose of my being the Education Minister for the whole island, if it is impossible for me to do such a small thing? he asked. That is why people should be aware of these things," the Minister said.

There is a mass anti-government campaign to mislead masses saying that the government has written off needy allocations on education", he concluded.

Minister Vajira Abeywardene, Jayantha Jayaweera MP, Asoka Danawansa, SPC member and the school principal Ananda Weerawansa and a few others also spoke.

News | Business | Features | Editorial | Security
Politics | World | Letters | Sports | Obituaries |

Produced by Lake House
Copyright 2001 The Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Ltd.
Comments and suggestions to :Web Manager