Only ruins of all education projects will be left – Ven. Dhambara Amila Thera

SUNDAY, 03 MARCH 2013 

Cluster schools, Navodya schools, super schools are personal projects of those in the government and the thousand schools project too would be another ruined project in two years time says the co-convener of the National Movement for Protecting Free Education () Ven. Dhambara Amila Thera.

This was said by Ven. Amila Thera at a scholarly forum regarding protecting free education held at the Center for Society and Religion at Maradana today (3rd). University lecturers, trade union leaders, representatives of students’ organizations and several mass organizations were present.

Ven. Amila Thera said the forum was a historical event participated by several mass organizations and would move to take to the society a programme to win free education for the children of the country. He said the decisions taken by the forum would be revealed to the media so that the masses would be aware of them.

The co-convener of NMPFE Senior Lecturer Devaka Punchihewa said expenses equal to 50% of the allocation for education is spent for blasting stones for unsuccessful projects such as Hambantota harbour and added that the government that wastes 2% of the GDP due to frauds, corruption and wasteful spending allocates only 1.56% of the GDP for education. He said free education is a net for the social protection of the masses and privatizing education would deny the masses of this protection he pointed out.

Among those present were senior Lecturer of the University of Fine Arts Chandraguptha Thenuwara, Dileepa Vitharana of Open University, the National Organizer of Socialist Students’ Union Dr. Nalinda Jayatissa, the Member of the National Committee of the National Trade Union Center (NTUC) Wasanthe Samarasinghe, the convener of the People’s Movement to Protect Schools (PMPS) Dhammika Alahapperuma.