Naveen faults Budget for low capex for education

Saturday, 7 December 2013 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

State Management Reforms Minister Naveen Dissanayake yesterday criticised the Budget 2014 for inadequate allocations made to meet capital expenditure in education. “The allocation of Rs. 9 billion is not enough,” he charged participating the eighth allotted day of the Appropriation Bill 2014 Committee Stage Debate. Minister Dissanayake said the Ministry of Education would receive Rs. 107,519 million for recurrent expenditure of the education sector while Rs. 9,185 million had been allocated as capital expenditure. “We need Rs. 107.5 billion to pay the salaries and meet school uniforms and other costs,” he said. “As a Government Minister I see this problem in all the sectors. All the different governments either the UNP or SLFP we kept increasing recurrent expenditure thus failed to increase the capital expenditure, which is the real investment for the future,” said Minister Dissanayake recommending changes in policy. The Minister said that the country boasts of a literacy rate over 90% thanks to free education but that alone would not sort out the problems in education. “We should think of providing a wholesome education for our children. Around 200,000 candidates sit for GCE Advanced Level examination but only 20,000 enter the universities. Thirty thousand of the remainder gets selected to various educational streams including the technical colleges. About 150,000 are left out. We the politicians and leaders should think of those left out and their future,” said Minister Dissanayake.

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