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| Friday, 2 July 2004 |
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| UNP openly flouted schools admission laws: Mangala lambasts sections of media on school admissions issue by Manjula Fernando Cabinet Spokesman and Minister Mangala Samaraweera accused that a section of the media, driven by an unforeseen hand, maliciously highlighted the schools issue involving the JVP Matara district MP to sling mud at the United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). "Where were these 'patriotic' mediamen when the former Education Minister admitted many children of UNP supporters and their relatives to leading schools in Colombo flouting all regulations ?," the Minister questioned adding that senior ministers of the previous regime have also sponsored children to popular schools against stipulated procedures. The Education Ministry Secretary has written a letter to the President, giving details of the admission of the MPs' son to Rahula College, Matara. According to the letter, MP Premasiri Manage had written a letter to the National Schools Director requesting that his child be admitted to Grade 6 of this particular school on a priority basis in keeping with the privileges he enjoys as a Member of Parliament. "The letter was considered on a ruling issued by the Attorney General in a Fundamental Rights case filed by a government servant concerning a school admission in 2003 and the request was granted," the Minister added. "Owing to the adverse publicity given to this whole affair by some sections of the media, the MP withdrew the child and he is now at home without a school." Minister Samaraweera said the former Education Minister held meetings with principals of leading schools at his office to discuss accommodating children sponsored by ministers, in their respective schools but these were not reported in newspapers. Referring to a list of grade one admissions sent by the Education Ministry to a certain school in Colombo the Minister said: "According to this document former Ministers Mahinda Samarasinghe, John Amaratunga, Lakshman Seneviratne, Karu Jayasuriya and Jayawickrema Perera have influenced education authorities to get children of their supporters admitted to popular schools." "The list carried the heading 'on special instructions of the Education Minister'. In one instance the National Schools Director has requested, in his own hand writing, to admit a child overriding the strictly stipulated 40 members per class regulation." "But the officials are not to be blamed. They are under extreme pressure from their superiors," he added. He queried how only an isolated issue that was also properly channelled was given so much publicity when these past incidents were not even taken up by media. |
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