Ed.Min. seeks additional Rs 4.2b for ‘connections’ to more schools
View(s):The Ceylon Teachers union (CTU) last week alleged that the Ministry of Education (MoE) together with the Ministry of Telecommunications, intends to submit a fresh Cabinet paper claiming increased funds for laying of cables and plug points for an additional 2,543 schools islandwide.
CTU General Secretary Joseph Stalin said, the MoE, in a Cabinet paper submitted in August 2019, had only planned to distribute Tabs to Advanced Level (A/L) students in the 360 National schools in the country. But now, the number of schools has been increased by including 708 type 1AB schools and 1,835 type C into the plan.
The Cabinet paper, if approved, will cost the government a massive Rs 4.2 billion, only for the laying of cables and providing internet facilities for 2,903 schools.
Already, approval has been obtained for Rs. 3 billion, to purchase 96,919 Tabs, excluding VAT, for A/L students in 360 National schools, with Rs. 230 million allocated for fixing cables and plug bases for the internet connection in those schools.
“The government is spending monies without any proper planning or calling for tenders, while they have yet to decide on what will be fed into the Tabs. The exercise is utterly futile,” he said. - CC