Sri Lankan government to suspend all fund raising in government schools

Sri Lanka Minister of Education Bandula Gunawardena said that a new circular will be issued to prevent fund-raising in government schools.
According to the circular to be issued in two weeks, the complaints regarding fund-raising will be probed and the education officials including teachers and principals involved in the action will be suspended. The circular will be valid for both national schools administrated by the central government as well as the schools administrated by the Provincial Councils, the Minister said. The circular will be issued under the direction of the President Mahinda Rajapaksa who focused his attention on the arrest of a 13-year-old female by the police for stealing coconuts worth of 800 rupees to raise funds to paint the school. The minor student of Medankara School in Horana was produced before the court following her arrest and the Horana Magistrate released her on a Rs. 50,000 bail. The President, shocked by the severity of police and court action on such a minor crime, called an immediate probe into the incident. The Principal of the school is being investigated for using the school students to raise funds despite that funds being provided by the provincial education ministry.

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