Loans taken by govt boosting country’s development - President

Sandasen MARASINGHE

President Mahinda Rajapaksa yesterday said the loans taken by the government are not meant to only feed the people, but are invested in various development projects in the country.

The President said these development projects, including airports, harbours and expressways, would increase in value day by day, while being added to the assets of the country.

He made these observations at a ceremony at President’s House to grant 3,000 teaching appointments to Information Technology graduates and College of Education diplomates under the 1,000 schools development project.

He said newly appointed teachers had a major responsibility in bringing the country’s IT literacy rate to 70 percent which is between 35 percent and 40 percent at present.

He added, however, the rate was five percent in 2005.

The President said 672 IT Nanasalas and Ruwanpura College of Education were of great service to elevate the literacy.

The President said the youth are so skilled that an IT institute in Sri Lanka in which around 600 youth are employed had won the bid to handle the Stock Exchange in England.

He added the youth even in the remotest of villages should be equipped with the required IT knowledge which they need to go forward with the development phase of the world in fields, such as, law, accounts and other areas as well.

President Rajapaksa further said the government under his rule had granted over 55,000 teaching appointments and around 3,000 are granted their appointments today. He added at the moment, more than 1.3 million are employed in the public service. The Treasury works very hard to pay their salaries, advances and pensions of the retired public servants.

The President added that however the public servants should know the extent that the government had placed its faith in them.

The President further said that he would perform his responsibility of building the country and requested the newly appointed IT teachers to perform their duty properly.

Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena, Central Province Chief Minister Sarath Ekanayake, Education Ministry Secretary Gotabhaya Jayaratne, Prof. Theexana Suraweera and Southern Province Provincial Education Minister Chandima Rasaputhra also spoke at the ceremony.