Six member committee to make recommendations

Free tablets to advanced level students

Disna Mudalige-Friday, June 29, 2018

A committee of six members will be appointed to take a final decision on giving free tablets to Advanced Level students, Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam said.

The Minister, responding to a question by a journalist at a press conference at Sirikotha yesterday, said it was decided at the last Cabinet meeting to appoint an Expert Committee comprising two nominees of the President, two nominees of the Prime Minister and two nominees of the Education Ministry to study and make recommendations with regard to the free-tablet project. A Cabinet Paper presented by Minister Kariyawasam to go ahead with the project of distributing tablets free of charge to schoolchildren did not receive the Cabinet approval on Tuesday as the President expressed his reservations on it. The project was halted on the instructions of President Sirisena in February.

The minister said the President asked to first carry out a pilot project on the initiative. Kariyawasam expressed his determination to go ahead with the move as a pilot project, adding that a decision as to whether it will cover the students in whole country will be taken after considering the committee’s recommendations.

He said the Government has also paid special attention to the complaints of charging exorbitant fees by private schools to admit students.