‘More funds needed to uplift provincial education’

Nimal Wijesinghe-Anuradhapura Additional District group correspondent

Mottos such as There is no future without education or Priority to Education concerning the North Central Provincial Education do not bring about any conspicuous change to uplift the education unless there is utmost dedication by teachers, parents, education officials and students, North Central Provincial Education Minister Peshala Bandara Jayaratne said. “Sufficient funds should be invested on progressive projects on education,” said Minister Jayaratne.

Referring to the recently launched North Central three year educational development plan, the minister told the Daily News that priority will be given to the eradication of scarcity of specialized teachers, upgrading discipline of students, remedy the physical resources’ shortcoming and passing educational dividends to the 780 schools in the province without discrimination. “Funds allocated annually by the Provincial Council for provincial education is not sufficient. Step-motherly treatment to provincial education will cause more damages to it,” the minister said.

This year's allocation of Rs 150 million for educational development reserved by the DC (NCP) is insufficient,” Jayaratne emphasized.