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Contractor locks out school children
By Sachitra Mahendra
President's College, Rajagiriya is faced with a crisis as admission of students to Grade Six has been blocked with the newly built block housing their classrooms kept locked by the contractor claiming he had not been paid his full dues.

A total sum of Rs. 6,500,000 is said to be due to the contractor for constructing the three-storied building consisting of 12 class rooms. An advance payment of Rs. 4,500,000 was reportedly paid to him from the Mahapola Fund during the last regime, but the present government has refused to pay the balance sum on the grounds that it is illegal as the Fund is meant only for payments relating to the higher education sector.

The recent incident of parents forcibly admitting their children into the newly built building led the contractor to make a complaint to the Police resulting in the building being locked up.

President's College Principal A. Amaratunga said the building could have been opened for the use of the children had the Education Ministry made the remaining payment to the contractor. The children are now sheltered in the school, with no proper classrooms.

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