Huge progress in estate schools

All facilities provided including 3600 teacher appointments:

Chaminda Perera reporting from Buttala

President Mahinda Rajapaksa stressed that the estate sector has seen tremendous development in terms of education and that teacher shortages in the estate sector have already been solved by appointing over 3600 educated youth in the area as teachers. “We have provided adequate teachers to the Estate schools”, the President added.

Addressing the Tamil and Muslim communities in the Moneragala district in Tamil yesterday, the President said the LTTE terrorists strove to destroy the brotherhood and close amity between the Sinhala and other communities.

Addressing the Tamil and Muslim communities in the district at the Pelwatte Sugar factory premises, he said the Government has introduced a novel program to the government servants to learn each other’s languages.

The members of the Muslim community presented a special memento to the President in recognition of his unwavering commitment towards the eradication of terrorism which plagued the country’s development for more than 30 years

“Tamil language proficiency has been made compulsory for the newly recruited public servants.

He said the Government provides Rs. 25,000 to Tamil Government servants who wish to learn Sinhala while the Government servants belonging to the Sinhala community will also receive the same remuneration if they learn Tamil.

“The Tamil people face various difficulties when they go to a Government office and the Sinhalese also face the same situation when they go the Government offices in the East.

“Unlike in the past, the Muslim and Tamil communities particularly in the Estate sector are trying their best to provide the best education to their Childen. The Government has provided all facilities to the estate schools to promote their education.

“I am of the opinion that the dividends of development should go to the all parts of the island equally . We are in the process of developing rural villages under the Gama Neguma program” ‘ he said. He said a massive program has commenced against illicit drugs. “We have a responsibility to create a society which would truly love the country,” he said.

The British imperialists and colonials imprisoned the Estate workers who immensely contributed to the uplift of the national economy in line rooms while the irrigation tanks were being destroyed in the Uva Wellassa region, he said.

He said the Government launched a number of housing projects in the housing sector too. “We brought the Nenasala to the Estate sector to promote IT education in the region.

The Muslims who were forcibly evicted from the Northern Province by the terrorists, are still living in refugee camps, But the Muslim families who were evacuated from the Muttur region were resettled in their original places of birth within 48 hours under my Government.