More facilities for Northern students

By P. Krishnaswamy

Provincial and central educational authorities have taken steps to provide facilities to Northern students in an effort to bring the educational standard of the province to its original state, Northern province Governor Maj. Gen. G.A. Chandrasiri told the Sunday Observer.

These measures were to initiate under directions from President Mahinda Rajapaksa and almost eighty percent of the schools in the province have already started functioning with hundred percent student attendance, he said. Students of schools that have still not started functioning are attending schools in their present locations, including at the IDP camps in Chettikulam, he said.

The President will today open the fully renovated Vayavilan Madhya Maha Vidyalayam followed by the opening of the fully reconstructed Sangupiddy - Pooneryn bridge on the A 32 highway. The school remained closed for nearly twenty years because it was within the high security zone.

The re-opening of this popular school coincides with its Founder's Day and the nearly 1200 students who are studying at schools in Urumbirai will now return to the school. The provincial administration alone had allocated rupees five million for the renovation, the Governor said.

An agreement was signed on Tuesday with the Nipon Foundation, Japan and the Seva Lanka Foundation by the provincial administration for the allocation of Rs. 141 million for renovating 100 war-ravaged schools in the Northern province.

The agreement was signed with the approval and in the presence of the Minister of Economic Development and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for Northern Development (PTFND) Basil Rajapaksa, the Governor said, adding that he was also present on that occasion.

Parents, teachers and the children are happy over the results of the last GCE (O/L) and GCE (A/L) results. Last time the Northern province got the best results after many decades and thirty-five students became eligible for university admission from the Jaffna district, he said.

"The focus this year will be on improving the quality of education and the quality of teachers and students", he said.

The Northern provincial education department is still maintaining five schools with 96 teachers in Puttalam for the children of the displaced Northern Muslims and 500 volunteer teachers have been appointed with Cabinet approval, he said.

Around 2000 montessori and preschools are there in the previously abandoned areas of the Northern province and the provincial administration has proposed a management scheme for the Northern pre-schools. A grant will be given for the maintenance of the preschools and the payment of salaries to the teachers, the Governor said, adding that the teachers will be upgraded and they will need to obtain a diploma in preschool teaching.

School buildings, furniture, teachers, free books and uniforms have been provided from preschool level to ensure that all children of the displaced families are encompassed into the new education-based programs. Motivation of children and teachers, transport and accommodation in hostels in some places, are also being provided.

The problem with regard to want of teachers to teach certain subjects will also be addressed this year, the Governor said.

Of the 1,016 provincial government schools in the Northern province, 859 schools are already functioning, educational authorities of the Northern provincial administration said.

About 157 schools, many of them located in the high security zone and highly mine infested areas in Vavuniya North, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi and Madhu educational zones, will start functioning soon after the demining process is completed and sections of the high security zones are evacuated, authoritative sources said.

The number of students in the Northern province is 249,172 and the district-wise breakup is 14, 540 in Mullaitivu , 42,044 in Vavuniya , 28,280 in Mannar, 26,332 in Kilinochchi and 137,976 in Jaffna.