Rs 1,035 m to develop Jaffna schools

Uditha Kumarsinghe and Irangika Range

Education Minister Susil Premajayanth told Parliament yesterday that the Government has allocated Rs. 1,035 million to develop 31 schools in Jaffna under the Isuru school project.

Under this project, Rs.32.5 million will be allocated to each of these 21 selected schools by converting them into Isuru schools.

The Minister said the government has made arrangements to improve education in the North which was seriously affected due to terrorist activities.

“There is no shortage of teachers in Jaffna. The Government has appointed over 400 teacher Assistants to Jaffna. In addition, the Government has appointed 3,500 new teachers to the Eastern Province. Earlier, there was a shortage of teachers in Jaffna due to LTTE attempt to recruit newly appointed teachers to the LTTE by force”.

Minister Premajayantha said the Government has provided desks, chairs and material for school uniform worth over Rs. 130 million to students in Jaffna.

“As a special feature, an opportunity was provided to 260 children who had been recruited by the LTTE as child soldiers to sit for the GCE Advanced Level Examination. Permission was granted to another 860 children in Relief Villages to sit the GCE Advanced Level Examination.

“There are about 80,000 students in Relief Villages in Cettikulam and its suburbs. Earlier, Relief centres were conducted in 17 schools in Vavuniya.

At present all these schools have been released to conduct their educational activities. Therefore, the Government’s intention is to take every possible measure to develop education in the North which was seriously affected due to terrorism,” the Minister said.

The Government has no intention to keep displaced persons and students in camps.

The Government will resettle them as soon as possible which country has given school education, pre-school education and free school uniform to students who are provided temporary shelter in Relief Villages?” the Minister asked.

Commenting on the printing mistakes in term test question papers issued to students by some Provincial Councils, Minister Premajayanth told Parliament yesterday that instructions have been given to Provincial Councils to take disciplinary action against officials who are responsible.

From the third term, the Education Ministry will make financial allocations to Provincial Councils to print question papers free of charge, he said.

“Nearly Rs. 90 million is spent to conduct term test examinations of schools which come under the purview of nine provinces,” the Minister said.

The Minister was responding to an adjournment mortion moved by UNP MP Ranjith Madduma Bandara.