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Eastern Province chiefs in spat over primary school
View(s):By Wasantha Chandrapala
Wimalaweera Dissanayake, the Eastern Province Minister of Education, has strongly criticised Eastern Province Governor Rear-Admiral Mohan Wijeywickrema for his role in a dispute over the location of the Viharamahadevi Primary School in Lahugala, Ampara. Lahugala and Paranagovipola residents are fighting over the location of the primary school.
Parents in Lahugala say they cannot afford to send their children to Paranagovipola, site of the closest school in the area. They say it would cost them Rs. 1,800 a month to send their children by three-wheeler to Paranagovipola, which is two-and-a-half kilometres away.
In response, Wimalaweera Dissanayake, Minister of Education, Eastern Province, ordered the construction of a temporary building in Lahugala for a primary school. The Viharamahadevi Primary School opened in this building on February 6.
However, protests from Paranagovipola residents, led by Pradesheeya Sabha member Udaya Lal, have resulted in the closure of the school in Lahugala, on the orders of Eastern Province Governor Rear-Admiral Mohan Wickrema. Consequently, residents of Lahugala have made a separate protest.
Wimalaweera Dissanayake called a media conference last week to condemn Governor Mohan Wickrema for interfering in the Education Minister’s professional duties.
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