Prime Minister and Education Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya said the government aims to ensure that every child has access to a primary school equipped with adequate facilities, regardless of their geographical location.

Speaking at the handover of a newly constructed building at Mahakumbukkadawala Junior School in Puttalam on October 29, she said financial allocations and development plans had been prepared for 31 selected schools under the first phase of the primary school modernization project.The project, implemented in line with the government’s policy manifesto, A Prosperous Country, A Beautiful Life, aims to reduce disparities in educational facilities between urban and rural schools and ensure equal access to quality education.

The new building at Mahakumbukkadawala Junior School was constructed at a cost of approximately Rs. 35 million. It includes smart boards, activity rooms, reading rooms and sanitary facilities to support activity-based learning. The building has also been designed to ensure accessibility for students with disabilities.A further Rs. 11 million was invested in developing other infrastructure in the school’s primary section to provide students with a safe and well-equipped learning environment.Following the handover, the Prime Minister observed students engaging in educational activities using the newly installed facilities.She said 309 primary schools had been selected for development under the wider project, adding that attention would also need to be directed towards secondary school development once the work at these institutions was completed.Dr. Amarasuriya said the government was committed to ensuring that children received an equal opportunity to access quality education, irrespective of the school or region in which they studied.

She also said engineering divisions and expert committees had been appointed to ensure that school buildings, furniture and other physical resources were arranged according to scientific methods and appropriate standards, taking into account the needs of students and teachers.The Prime Minister stressed the importance of cooperation among all stakeholders, from the Education Ministry to provincial councils, education divisions and individual schools, to achieve the government’s education objectives.

She added that the government remained committed to strengthening children’s future while improving the professional capabilities of teachers and principals.The event was attended by Minister of Public Administration, Provincial Councils and Local Government Professor H. M. H., Members of Parliament, Deputy Minister of Education and Higher Education Dr. Madhura Seneviratne, Ministry Secretary Nalaka Kaluwewa, North Western Province Director of Education and other officials.