Australia to provide Rs. 405m to improve rural schools

High Commissioner for Australia, Kathy Klugman, on behalf of the Australian Government signed Memorandum of Understanding with Secretary of the Finance and Planning Ministry Smith Abeysinghe on behalf of the Government of Sri Lanka and with Philippe Duamelle Country Representative, on behalf of UNICEF, for Australian grant funding of Rs. 405 million to be utilized over three and half years for the Basic Education Support Program (BESP) in Sri Lanka.

The BESP, a new partnership between the Ministry of Education, AusAID and UNICEF will assist 600 to 800 rural schools and more than 250,000 children.

Those who are marginalised, vulnerable and living with disabilities in less developed areas, in Moneragala, Badulla, Ampara, Trincomalee, Batticaloa and Nuwara Eliya district will also be included.

In addition to improving access and quality of education in the target areas, the CFS initiative helps to promote social cohesion and inclusiveness between communities from different ethnic, religion and language backgrounds.