Rs 11b for 13-Year Compulsory Education programme: MoE
View(s):Around Rs 11 billion will be allocated next year under the 2018 Budget for the 13-Year Compulsory Education programme which commenced last week, covering 4,875 students in 42 selected National Schools islandwide. Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam told the Sunday Times that Rs 2 billion has already been spent this year for the development of necessary infrastructure facilities and for teachers for the programme.
He said all the infrastructure facilities and teachers have already been provided to the students who currently follow the programme. (Full list at end of story) The Minister noted that the programme will be extended to another 125 schools islandwide in 2018 and the allocated Rs 11 billion utilised to provide infrastructure facilities, teacher training programmes and other facilities for the students.
In addition, all students who enter the programme will be given a special Identity card, while the Ministry of Education (MoE) will bear the cost for the students to follow the NVQ courses. He said that, by 2019, the 13-Year Compulsory Education will be available for all the students in the entire Education system.
Meanwhile, MoE Planing & Performance Review Additional Secretary S.U. Wijerathne stated that around 50,000 students drop out of school between Grades 1 to 11 classes, annually, while a large amount leave school after GCE O/L. He said, around 96,000 students in 2015, and another 86,000 students in 2016, failed to qualify for the Advanced Level.
Mr Wijerathne said that various reasons including economic and social issues, the burdensome school syllabus, shortage of teachers, unprofessional teachers, teaching methods that do not comply with the needs and skills of the students and competitiveness at exams, result in mass school dropouts.
- Damith Wickremasekara