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Join hands to work for country's development, says President

By Duminda Guruge

President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga on Wednesday urged the people to eschew political differences and join hands to work for the development of the country to ensure their own future welfare. Political differences should not come into play especially in matters concerning education and national development, she said.

The President was addressing a meeting after renaming the modernised Avissawella new Kanishta Vidyalaya as Janadhipathi Vidyalaya.

The President said: "Eversince we took on the country's administration eight years ago, we have given top priority for the development of education as a pre-requisite for the country's development. As for the other sectors, we appointed a broad based committees of experts for the development of the education sector. This committee developed and recommended a National Education Policy which has been implemented in earnest during the last three years."

President Kumaratunga said a country can never be developed without developing its education system. In the past, Sri Lanka was considered as one of the countries with the highest literary rate in the world. Sri Lanka was among the 10 countries having the best education systems in the Third World, she said.

"But unfortunately during the last 25 years or so, officials had not given much thought to the need to develop our education system in keeping with developments in the world. The curriculum had remained unchanged for nearly 30 years. As a result, children could not receive an education suitable for modern times.

There were no proper facilities available in schools for teaching of science, computer science and management," the President said.

Even in 1994, a majority of schools in the island lacked laboratory and library facilities. Even Royal College and Visakha Vidyalaya did not have any computers. There was no programme for personality development in schools either, she said.

The President said to overcome this problem, the Government developed and published a new educational curriculum and provided in service training for teachers to create a proper awareness of it.

New colleges of education and teacher training schools were opened and schools were provided with computer, laboratory and library facilities as an on going programme, she said.

These reforms were intended to develop education according to international standards and extend educational facilities found in prestigious city schools to children in outstations, she said.

The President said to realise this objective two 'DSP' or Navodaya schools were set up in each district. Already a vast amount of funds have been utilised to develop 360 such schools. Kannangara Maha Vidyalaya has been upgraded as a Madya Maha Vidyalaya. This programme will not only develop outstation schools, but also help ease the pressure and competition to enter prestigious city schools, she said. The President said unfortunately this educational development programme has suffered a setback due to a severe curtailment of funds allocated to Provincial Councils by the new government, she said and hoped to settle this problem through discussions with the ministers.

President Kumaratunga said: "There are nearly 10,000 schools in the country today, out of which nearly 8,000 are controlled by Provincial Councils. Activities of Provincial Councils have weakened due to a curtailment of funds by the Central Government by about 60 per cent. But we are determined to carry forward the education programme we have started successfully because we are committed to ensure a better education to the young generation".

The President referring to late Minister and MEP leader Philip Gunawardena said he was a political hero from the Kelani Valley who will linger on the memory of the people for ever.

Colombo District MP Dinesh Gunawardene, Western Province Chief Minister Reginald Cooray and Provincial Ministers Sumith Vijayamuni Soysa and Mahesh Almeida and Principal Janadhipathi Vidyalaya D. B. Anthony also spoke.

Western Province Governor Alavi Mowlana, Provincial Council members Geethanjana Gunawardene and Lasantha Alagiyawanna and former Minister Indika Gunawardene also spoke.

The President also opened a new maternity unit and an intensive care unit at the Avissawella Hospital.

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