India grants Rs 300m for Estate schools' development

The Indian Govt will grant Rs 300 million under the “Plantation Infrastructure Development Project” (PIDP) to improve the condition of 10 Estate schools, said the State Education Ministry.

Accordingly, 7 schools from the Central Province- Kandy 3, Nuwara Eliya 4, and 1 each from Uva, Sabaragmuwa and Southern Provinces, will be selected for complete infrastructure development.

The Indian government has agreed to this financial assistance, as most Estate schools are in need of infrastructure improvement, from buildings, to laboratories, to teacher’s quarters, toilets etc. There are at present 33 schools under the “PIDP.”

Apart from this project, Pussellawa Saraswathie Vidayalaya, one of the oldest schools in the hill country will receive Rs 95 million for infrastructure development.

The Ministry said Tender procedures, by the Indian High Commission in Colombo, have commenced to complete the project without delay. The Ministry said it will provide expertise of construction engineers and assist in monitoring and supervision.

State Education Minister V. Radhakrishnan said the objective in improving school infrastructure facilities is to reduce absenteeism and school dropouts in the Estate sector.

“When we implemented the Smart Classroom project in one school, school attendance increased by 100%. We need to maintain this in the whole Estate sector.”

By improving teachers quarters, the Ministry intends to retain more teachers as a solution for the severe shortage of teachers in the Estate sector.