36 schools closed due to insufficient students in 2012

By Ashwin Hemmathagama our lobby correspondent

Last year, 36 schools were closed due to insufficient number of student found in them, which seriously questioned the viability of continuity, Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena told the Parliament yesterday, in response to a question raised by United National Party MP Akila Kariyawasam.

Clarifying the Government policy to revolutionise the school education in par with the ‘Mahinda Chinthana’ political manifesto, Minister stated that 1,000 schools were identified and will be amalgamated and joined to a secondary school as a part of the ‘Mahindodaya’ development process.

“Establishing of the Mahindodaya school system will have two stages. During the first stage 409 schools are now under construction and the will be completed before the end of this year. Each of these schools will have an information technology lab, language centre, physics laboratory, chemistry laboratory, bio science laboratory, Nenasa long distance education centre, and mathematical centre.

“In addition to Mahindodaya, we have developed and launched 475 primary schools and modified 3,080 schools using the ‘friendly child approach scheme’. For each Mahindodaya school an allocation of Rs. 60 million is made for each school, and Rs. 500,000 is allocated for 1,680 primary schools,” the Minister said.