President to roll out 1,000 new national schools program today

Friday, 7 January 2022 02:44 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa

Bringing ‘Vistas of Prosperity’ to the forefront, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa will ceremoniously launch the 1,000 new national schools establishment program, covering all nine provinces today.

The inaugural ceremony of the 1,000 new national schools establishment program will be held at the Siyambalanduwa Maha Vidyalaya in Monaragala today at 10:30 a.m. auspicious time with the blessings of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and by the invitation of the Leader of the House of Parliament and Education Minister Dinesh Gunawardena, President’s Media Division said.

Simultaneously, the program will be launched in all other provinces.

At present, there are 373 national schools in operation and the number of such schools will be increased to 1,169 under the new project. These schools will be established in each Divisional Secretariat Division with a maximum of 3000 students per school.

“Education is the strongest path to perceive the attributes, excellence, and greatness of a prosperous future and to make it successful, the national schools will cross the existing limit of 373 and cover all the Divisional Secretariats as 1,000 national schools with a high level of physical development and human development and will be gifted to the country’s children,” President’s Media Division said in a statement.

The program is launched with the objectives to reasonably expand the national schools network across the country, significantly increase the opportunities for high quality secondary education, minimise unnecessary demand for certain schools, reduce crowding in certain schools and assure the utilisation of available educational resources (physical and human) at an optimum level by providing such resources based on the justifiable criteria, norms and guidelines to all schools.

In parallel to the inaugural ceremony ‘Nidahas Dahasak’, nine schools in the nine provinces are being consecrated today.

1.Western Province – Science College, Mt. Lavinia

2.Uva Province – Siyambalanduwa Central College of Monaragala

3.Northern Province – Palai Central College of Kilinochchi

4.North Central Province – Thambuththegama Central College of Anuradhapura

5.North Western Province – DS Senanayake Central College of Kurunegala

6.Central Province – Panvila Rajasinghe Central College of Wattegama, Kandy

7.Sabaragamuwa Province – Central College of Kuruwita, Ratnapura

8.Eastern Province – Mahadivulwewa Maha Vidyalaya of Trincomalee North

9.Southern Province – Puhulwella Central College of Matara

Uva Province Governor A.J.M. Muzammil, State Ministers Shasheendra Rajapaksa, Vijitha Berugoda, Piyal Nishantha de Silva, Dr. Seetha Arambepola, other ministers, Members of Parliament, Provincial Representatives, invitees, the general public, teachers and students will participate in the events.