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Mahindodaya with borrowed funds by another name
View(s):Former and present Education authorities wrangled over the name for the project to establish Technology Laboratories in underprivileged Secondary Schools islandwide to upgrade them to National Schools, to provide equal opportunities for rural students.
Heated words were exchanged between United National Party (UNP) Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam and United People’s Freedom Party (UPFA) MP Bandula Gunawardane along with a few UPFA Provincial Councillors, when the Minister ordered the removal of the name ‘Mahindodaya’ from newly built and unfinished Technology Labs.
Justifying his decision, the Minister claimed that the removal order was to prevent politics from influencing and corrupting the minds of students, with hoardings erected by local political bodies to promote hidden political agendas of top politicians of the previous government.
The ‘Mahindodaya’ concept was a fulfillment of a pledge by former President Rajapaksa in his 2010 election manifesto for a Secondary Schools Development Programme that upgrades 1,000 selected schools in underprivileged areas in each Province, by establishing well-equipped Technology Labs, to afford rural students equal opportunities in Education.
“Certain Opposition politicians act as if they have spent their own money and initiated this programme for the students. These Labs have been constructed with loans sanctioned from international banks and with taxpayers money. Hence, the right should be given to the public, not to some politicians,” the Minister said.
He criticised former Education authorities for failing to pay contractors involved with the programme on time. He also complained that certain local authorities had exhausted their allocated budget for Education with commemorative plaques for political purposes, worth more than Rs 100,000, whilst requesting funds from the central government.
Countering the allegations of Minister Kariyawasam, Western Province (WP) Chief Minister, Prasanna Ranatunge told the Education Times that the credit for initiating a programme to uplift the Educational standards, should be granted to the Rajapaksa regime and the names of politicians involved be promoted, for their services to the general public.
He further charged that, though the present Government demanded the previous regime to increase funds for Education, from last year’s Budget, they have failed to allocate funds for WP and other provinces to fulfill their own political agendas.
According to the WP Education Dept, 134 schools are to be constructed in the Province, of which 36 have been opened, while 27 Labs are to be opened within this month.
According to former Education Minister, Bandula Gunawardane, the Asian Development Bank has sanctioned US$ 200 million to purchase computers for the Labs, adding that, the total cost for a lab is estimated at Rs 15 million, and accusing the Government of retarding the programme’s progress.
He further mentioned that, apart from the 1,000 Technology Labs, Rs 17 billion has been allocated for 251 Advanced Technology Labs for Engineering Technology, Bio-System Technology and Advanced Technology, for both programmes, while Rs 100 million had been allocated for the construction of two Labs per school in each Divisional zone, and claimed that the present Government had cut off the allocated funds from the Budget.
He also said that he was surprised and disappointed when informed that a complaint had been lodged against him at the Bribery Commission alleging that he had defrauded the funds allocated for the programme. He said that, though he had volunteered to make a statement to the Bribery Commission regarding the allegations made against him, he had yet to receive notice to present himself at the Commission to do so.
- By Chamal Weerakkody