Govt allocates Rs. 250 m for education sector in Jaffna

by Dhaneshi YATAWARA

The Government has allocated around Rs. 250 million to develop the education sector of the Jaffna district under the 'Vadakkin Wasantham' (Northern Spring) mega development plan. Three-hundred-and-ten projects will be launched in all five education zones in the district, said Northern Province Governor Maj.Gen.G.A. Chandrasiri.

"Seventy-nine projects will be launched in the Jaffna Education zone at a cost of Rs. 58.4 million," the Governor said.

Under the education development plan, a three-storey building will be constructed for the Jaffna Hindu College and a ceremony was held in this construction last week with Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare Douglas Devananda and Northern Province Governor Maj.Gen.G.A. Chandrasiri as the Chief Guests.

"The Government's intention is to provide people in the North with a high level of education which they enjoyed before terrorism erupted," Minister Douglas Devananda said.

The principal of the Jaffna Hindu College V. Ganeshrajah told the media that the college was one of the five schools in the island that showed the best results at the GCE O/L examination in 2008.

"We were the only Tamil medium school in that category.

Two-hundred students sat the examination and all qualified for the Advanced level and 36 students are studying in the English medium for their A/L examination in 2011," he said.

"The school was closed for 60 days in 2006 due to the LTTE threat but in the last two years we functioned assured with the security provided by the Security Forces," he said.