‘Nearest School the Best School’ some way off sans funds
View(s):The Ministry of Education’s (MoE) ‘Nearest School the Best School’ programme is in crisis with contractors abandoning projects, due to delay in payments.
In the latest incident, an estimated 300 schools in the North Central Province (NCP) construction has come to a halt due to delay in payments, with similar incidents reported from the Sabaragamuwa and Central Provinces as well.
The Education Times last week reported an incident in Nuwara Eliya, where existing buildings of a school was demolished to make way for a new building. But a year after construction commenced, it was abandoned due to non-payment. In the NCP, the Ceylon Teachers Union Anuradhapura Branch President Priyantha Fernando said children were compelled to follow classes in the open due to the delay in construction work.
“Some students have been moved into temples and churches for want of classrooms, after existing buildings were demolished,” he said. He said, “Although the Central Government has reportedly allocated Rs 4,200 million, some Rs 2,000 million is overdue to contractors, with Provincial Councils (PC) claiming non-availability of funds.
A senior officer of the NCPC, who did not want to be named, said when the Government approved the allocation of Rs 4,200 million, they had gone ahead with the project, but they only received about Rs 2,500 million. “We used Rs 484 million meant for other work in the Province, but still did not receive the funds and therefore, have run into trouble,” he said.
The issue was raised in Parliament last week, when Government members assured that payments would be made as soon as possible. According to an MoE spokesman, Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said, “Though the Ministry was trying to expedite the construction and its related payments, there were delays in obtaining funds from the Treasury for the payments. However, the MoE is trying to make arrangements to ensure no further delays.” - Priyantha Bandara.