Vouchers or Material, Students kept guessing

The former and present Education Ministers are in conflict whether to issue vouchers to purchase school uniform material or provide the material itself.

Amidst controversy in Parliament, Cabinet this week agreed by Education Minister Dr Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe's proposal that they should revert to the old modus operandi where uniform material were provided to the students.

Cabinet spokesman Mahinda Samarasinghe said it is understood that the former system of providing school uniform material bought from the local manufactures is more profitable than the “Gift Voucher” system practised by the government recently. Considering the Rs 50 profit per metre of cloth and saving foreign exchange by purchasing material from local manufactures.

Mr Rajapakshe told the Education Times that estimates show they could save up to Rs 546 million by providing material, as the local industry too were affected.

He also said there were issues of quality, as the voucher was being used to purchase different types of material and also of different shades, hence lacking uniformity.

Mr Rajapakshe also said the students' parents were compelled to take a day off from work to collect the vouchers.

Former Education Minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam who was the architect of issuing vouchers said that it was a myth that local manufacturers were producing the material, and it was a handful of businessmen who provided imported material.

He said the vouchers had already been printed and arrangements made to distribute them when the crisis broke out on October 26, with the removal of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet by the President.

Education Ministry sources said that, if they go for the new system, it is unlikely they could provide the material when school vacation starts in 3 weeks.

(By Damith Wickremasekara

& Kasun Warakapitiya)