Free books in time for next academic year - Minister of Education

B.W. Eheliyagoda Kegalle special correspondent

The Government has made arrangements to distribute free text books among students throughout the country in time for the next academic year, said Education Minister Susil Premajayantha.

He was addressing the gathering at the annual prize distribution held at the Pindeniya National School in Galigomuwa as chief guest.

Minister Premajayantha said that all needed text books for the use of students in all grades have been published.

There are 366 sections of text books and of these already publication of 210 have been completed and they are in the Education Department stores ready for distribution to schools in time.

The Minister said that arrangements have been made to hand over complete stocks of books to all schools where over 2,000 students receive education together for distribution among students of all grades and that for whatever reason there shall be no cause for delay in the distribution of books, regarded as an urgency. The Government has painstakingly attended to printing and distribution of text books.

He said sometime ago there were some problems in admission of children to grade one. All these problems are smoothly resolved and there is no obstacle in completing all these school admissions.

The Minister said that all Zonal Directors of Education everywhere including the officers of all higher echelons have been intimated of the procedure for admission of students to all schools and that all admission procedure is going on systematically.

This will undoubtedly result in the success and completion of admissions of students to all schools without any obstacle and every child will get a school for his education.

He said certain categories of books that the printing is not yet finished will be completed in a matter of weeks. All categories of books will be provided for all students in the beginning of the first term.

The Minister said the Education Department has taken steps to provide the school uniforms too quite early and these are already packaged to be distributed among schools directly.