A school is being closed every six days in this country and there had been around 355 schools closed during the past four years, said the National Movement for the Protection of Schools, at a press conference held yesterday.
“The government’s expenditure on education in this country has come down by 50% in the past four years,” said Dammika Alahaperuma, Organizing Secretary of the Ceylon Teachers’ Association. He accused the government of transferring the burden of raising funds for education onto parents through the levy of fees for sports and other maintenance fees through the School Development Society Act, which was now in operation.
“Many schools are without the basic infrastructural facilities, sanitation and drinking water.