Popular school concept, an issue - PM

The popular school concept has created crises in the field of education, said Prime Minister D M Jayaratne. He said the government will build fully equipped 1,000 schools island wide to solve the problem of popular schools.

The Prime Minister was addressing a school text books distribution ceremony for 2012 in Girls' High School, Kandy. The Prime Minister said a large amount of money has been allocated to develop the education sector by the budget. He said the government spends Rs 3,000 million to print school books annually. Students should get the maximum use of these privileges.

While the government spends a lot of money for education there is a threat of closing schools. The main reason is that parents do not forward applications for some schools for grade one. Parents try to admit their children to popular schools. Quick action should be taken to solve this problem, he said.

"President Mahinda Rajapaksa is a leader who has understood the needs of the nation. After ending the war the next challenge is to strengthen the country economically. Several common factors such as health and education should be considered to achieve development," he said. The allocation of a large amount of funds for education proves that the government has paid special attention to education, he added.

"The government assumes that education should be developed to crown the country's development. It is the duty of teachers and parents to lead children in the correct path. Teachers should protect their dignity. Because of the behaviour of some teachers, the respect of teachers has been damaged," the Prime Minister said.