Budget 2019 proposals for the Education sector
View(s):Awarding scholarships to top achiever’s at the GCE Advanced Level (AL) exams to continue undergraduate studies at prestigious foreign universities, initiating the ‘My Future’ loan scheme to allow students to pursue undergraduate studies in Non-State universities and modernization of the curricula are some of the proposals presented towards the Education sector under Budget 2019 Enterprise Sri Lanka.
The Scholarship for Educational Excellence (SEE) Fund will facilitate 14 scholarships for GCE AL exam top achievers to continue their undergraduate studies at Harvard, Oxford, Cambridge, MIT and other prestigious foreign universities.
The maiden batch of students eligible for this scholarship would be selected from the GCE AL exam to be held this August, and would be required to serve the country for 15 years, on their return.
The ‘My Future’ loan scheme will enable students not selected to State universities, to follow undergraduate studies in Non-State universities, with the aid of an interest free loan up to Rs. 1.1 million.
The loan is repayable only after 2 years of graduation, and could be extended up to a period of 12 years.
With investments being guided by the STEM + A master plan. Greater emphasis is laid on creative and analytical learning, by allowing students to follow subject combinations such as Biology with English and Mathematics with Music, towards modernizing the curricula.
A Legal framework for regulation and governance of Preschool Education would also be introduced along with a national curriculum and training of teachers.
The ‘Singithi Pasala’ loan scheme, with a 50% interest subsidy, will be introduced to repair, renovate and establish government registered Preschools.
Budget 2019 will also make the following contributions to the Educational sector:
- Rs. 32,000 million to improve Laboratories, Libraries, Classrooms, Sanitary and Water facilitaties, Teachers’ Quarters etc. as a part of the ‘13 Years of Education’ scheme.
- Free glasses of milk for primary school students in all rural schools.
- Establishing professorial units at the Ratnapura and Kuliyapitiya hospitals to complement the Medical Faculties at the Sabaragamuwa and Wayamba Universities, while establishing a Faculty of Allied Health Science at the Ruhunu University and a Laboratory for Research on diseases like Cancer and Diabetes at the Medical Faculty at the University of Sri Jayewardhenepura.
- Rs. 400 million for the Ministry of National Integration, Official Languages, Social Progress and Hindu Affairs to promote teacher training in the Tamil medium.
- Partnering Vocational Training Institutions with selected industry associations in Information Technology, Tourism, Construction etc. to conduct training as expected by the industry.