COLOMBO : Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya stated that a number of special programmes are currently being implemented to promote digital education and improve infrastructure in Estate schools across the country.
The Prime Minister made these remarks in Parliament today (October 07) in response to a question raised by the Member of Parliament Dr. V. Radhakrishnan.
The Prime Minister further stated:
Out of the 849 Estae schools located across six provinces, only three schools currently do not have electricity. Funds have already been allocated to construct new buildings for two schools, while the other school is currently being operated from a temporary building. Under the assistance of India government, funds have been provided to establish and renovate Smart Classrooms in 60 Estate schools, enabling the safe storage of digital equipment as well as improvements to infrastructure. In addition, Rs. 101 million has been allocated for the construction of buildings at a further in 75 Estate schools, while Rs. 500 million has been allocated this year for the construction of new buildings.
Out of the 864 Estate schools that existed initially, 711 did not have internet facilities. Sri Lanka Telecom has been assigned the task of providing internet connectivity to 446 schools. The Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, together with the Digital Education Task Force of the Prime Minister’s Office, is working to provide internet facilities to all secondary schools by December 31, 2026.
A total of Rs. 1,903,368 has been allocated to the relevant provinces for the maintenance of these digital tools, including Rs. 860,000 for the Kegalle Education Zone and Rs. 400,500 for the Dehiowita Education Zone. In addition, under training programmes conducted for Tamil-medium teachers on the use of digital tools, 376 teachers from estate schools, 214 teachers from the Northern Province and 223 teachers from the Eastern Province have been trained.
An allocation of Rs. 71,129,848 has been made for the development of the Sri Pada National College of Education in 2026, while a five-year development programme worth Rs. 1,520 million has also been planned. Significant funds have also been approved for the renovation of student hostels, teachers’ quarters and common rooms. Further, steps have been taken to introduce Artificial Intelligence (AI) into school education, expand the use of Learning Management Systems (LMS) through platforms such as Google Classroom and Moodle, and provide high-speed internet facilities, including Wi-Fi, to all Colleges
