The Government has allocated a record eight percent through the 2022 Budget for education with over Rs.157.6 billion funding to the sector, a major increase compared to Rs. 126.5 billion in 2020. This is despite the massive Covid-19 expenditures, rising international debts and prices of commodities in the world market.
Of the total allocation, Rs. 135.4 billion will be for capital expenditures while 22.15 for recurrent expenditures, Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa presenting his maiden Budget as the subject Minister revealed on Friday.
Funding
This increase in funding for Education sector is a fulfillment of the long standing demand by education sector employees and the trade unions.
The Finance Ministry also at the last minute, heeding to trade union demands, infused Rs.30 billion to rectify 25 year old salary anomalies of the teachers and Principals.
This will be one-third of the recommendations made in the Subhidini Committee Report and the full settlement the trade unions reached with the Government to end the strike that continued for over three months.
It is reported that 4 percent of the budgetary allocations to the President’s office and another 4 percent from the PM’s office have been rerouted to make way to address the salary anomalies.
The Government agreed to pay in full the amount recommended by the Ministerial subcommittee on salary anomalies appointed by the Education Minister. Earlier it was to be paid in two instalments in 2022 and 2023. The new salary structure is to come into effect from January 2022.
The Finance Minister in his speech added,” Given that the Government through the Cabinet decision dated August, 30, 2021 has agreed as a matter of policy to eliminate the teacher –principal salary anomalies, I propose an additional Rs. 30,000 million be included for salary payments.
He said, this is expected to end the trade union activities and the Government will ensure expeditious implementation of this policy. This amount will be released in addition to the current allocation of over Rs. 109,000 million on teachers’ and principals’ salaries.
The Finance Minister also proposed to install a country wide telecommunication network expeditiously covering all 10,155 schools in the country using fibre optic technology, for which the required financial and technological assistance is proposed to be provided to the Telecommunication Regulatory Commission.
He said, ‘serious lapses in the mobile and the internet signal network were evident during the Covid-19 pandemic.’
The President said that the demands of the schoolchildren in most of the villages in Gama Samaga Pilisandara (Discussion with the village) program that investments in education through physical infrastructure developments like school buildings do not manifest the real benefits of education. The Finance Minister said it has been a matter of concern for the Government.
Therefore, with the objective of making rural schools attractive, a program to establish “1,000 National Schools” is implemented as a priority development project. The program will establish national schools in 123 Divisional Secretary Divisions where there is no national school by uplifting the facilities of secondary schools.
Under this program, classrooms, desks, chairs, toilets, drinking water, electricity, renovation of teachers’ quarters, provision of school instruments, laboratory building and required equipment, aesthetic units and facilities will be provided and reforms will be introduced to maintain technical subject stream.
Rs.2, 200 million has been allocated through the Appropriation Bill to establish 1,000 national schools and it is expected to complete the program within the next three (03) years.
Additional allocation
To accelerate the program and for other developments in the education sector the Minister proposed to include an additional allocation of Rs.5, 300 million as a Budget proposal.
Under the allocations to the field of sports, as an essential part to maintain physical and mental wellbeing, the Government pledged more funding to develop school facilities. “It is our responsibility to improve sports facilities, both in the city and village. Therefore, attention is paid to develop sports facilities in villages and school playgrounds, and indoor sports facilities.
Accordingly, I propose to allocate Rs.3, 000 million for sports development in addition to the already made allocation,” the Finance Minister added.
– By Manjula Fernando