National schools to increase to 1207, project to be given priority next year: Ed. Minister
View(s):The Government will give top priority to a programme to increase the number of national schools to 1,207, and an allocation of Rs. two billion will be released for the project, Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena said recently.
Even though the proposal initially approved late last year, the project could not be given priority due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but from the beginning of next year the project will be given priority, the Minister said.
Under the project existing schools will be elevated to national level status by giving them facilities and staff similar to that of the existing national schools. Currently 373 national schools are in operation.
Accordingly 824 existing schools will be upgraded to national schools raising the total number of national schools to 1,207.
Nine of the proposed 824 national schools have already been given the necessary facilities, and 16 more schools will receive the necessary facilities in the next two months.
The Education Ministry has sought details from the respective schools about the requirement of staff and other facilities to go ahead with the proposed project.
The facilities to be provided are science labs, computer units and facilities to follow any A/L stream including technology subjects. Facilities for sports will also be provided.
The objective of opening more national schools is to reduce the pressure on existing national schools, particularly for grade one admissions and grade six admissions after the scholarship examinations.
Cabinet approval for the proposal was given in December last year, and under the plan all districts were to be covered. Currently 123 Divisional Secretariat divisions which have no national schools will be given priority.