A total of nearly 800 schools have been damaged due to the bad weather that prevailed in the country during the last two months. Official sources said that 793 schools have been damaged due to recent floods. It is estimated that Rs 1,029 million is needed to repair them. The government has decided to attend to these needs on an urgent basis.
Reconstruction of buildings, class rooms, sanitary facilities, reconstruction of retention walls and repairs to play grounds and pavilions are the identified needs of the hour to ensure the proper continuation of schools in the affected districts. Countrys central, Uva, North- Central, Eastern and southern provinces were severely affected by torrential rain, flood and earth slips at the beginning of this year.
The government has already set aside Rs 33 billion to carry out livelihood and relief programs as over one million people were made homeless during this period also causing damages to farmlands making the country to lose around 17 percent of paddy production in the Yala season. The Education Ministry has estimated that the reconstruction of damages of 793 schools will cost Rs 1029 million. Number of schools damaged in each province is Central 15, Uva 17, North Central 153, Eastern 604, southern 02 and western 02.