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Budget 2015: Education sector never had it so good
View(s):The Education sector received a series of benefits including promotions to teachers, increase in Mahapola Scholarship and an allowance to students from low income families, from the Budget presented in Parliament by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on Friday (24).
Presenting the 2015 Budgetary allocations, President Rajapaksa also said that they hope to aid students and youth with new inventions and innovative ideas to build machinery within the country. The President also allocated Rs 300 million to develop pre-school education in the country.
He said that the State will supply the necessary equipment to pre-schools next year, with a pre-school set up near every State-run primary school without one already.
“Pre-school teachers will also receive an allowance of Rs 2,500. We will also create a loan facility of Rs 10,000 for these teachers for their day-to-day needs,” President Rajapaksa said.
He also said that, Rs 15,000 million has been allocated for the 1,000 Mahindodaya Technical Schools under construction in every Grama Sevaka Division, to be completed in three school years. Furthermore, Rs 1,500 million has been allocated to develop schools in rural areas.
In addition, 50,000 Assistant Teachers in English, Maths, Science, Information Technology, Arts and Sports are to be deployed in rural schools from next year.
GCE Advanced Level qualified candidates who failed to gain university admission, will be selected for this, and requested to follow a Bachelors in Education, to serve in the school they are assigned to, for five years. They will be paid a monthly allowance of Rs 9,000.
The President announced that they hope to increase the number of Grade 5 scholarships to 25,000 next year, and increase their monthly allowance from Rs 500 to Rs 1,500.
The State will also develop Teaching Colleges islandwide. The Maharagama Teaching College was allocated Rs 750 million to accommodate all subjects, while Rs 300 million was allocated to set up Technology, Management and Entrepreneurship laboratories at the South Asian Centre for Teacher Development, NIE, in Meepe.
The President also announced that the Mahapola Scholarship allowance to undergraduates from low income families will be increased to Rs 4,000 per month, while allowances will also be given to university academics.
As mid-year development projects, construction of Engineering and Technical Faculties at Sri Jayawardenapura University, IT Center at Kelaniya University and a Medical Faculty at Peradeniya University will place. In other universities, Food Technology, Agriculture and Veterinary Faculties will be put in also be developed.
Rs 1 billion has been allocated to develop the Buddhist and Pali University of Sri Lanka, including its hostel, to attract more foreign students and Bikkhus.
In a bid to encourage more Scientific research in the country, Rs 500 million has been allocated to develop a Cancer Research Centre at the Colombo University, a Centre to study Kidney diseases in Peradeniya and Rajarata Universities, and a Research Centre for Diabetes at Ruhuna University.
President Rajapaksa also said that Rs 1,000 million has been allocated to complete Nena Sara centers in every Grama Sevaka Division, to encourage young inventors.
The President added that all teachers will be given promotions, while also intending to settle their salary anomalies soon.