Finance Minister Ravi Karunanayake said a bonanza for all schoolchildren will be introduced in the new year.
As envisaged in the Budget-2017 over 4.5 million schoolchildren from the 5-19 age group will be provided with free health insurance policy certificate worth Rs. 200,000 per annum irrespective of the number of children in a family, a statement issued by the minister reads.
The statement said Rs 2,700 million was set aside for this, and it will be worked out through the Education Ministry very soon. Each child will be given a policy certificate for Rs. 200,000 covering both in and outpatient services - Rs. 100,000 for hospitalisation and Rs. 10,000 for outpatient services. It covers all the students whether they study in government or private schools, the ministerial statement said.
The government gave a new impetus to the free education with the free medical insurance, as already five welfare programmes are in place for students.
Free text books, uniforms, nutritional mid-day meal and glass of milk to needy students in the primary classes and a pair of shoes to those who need it are the other welfare benefits implemented by the government.
The Finance Ministry said President Maithripala Sirisena has directed that hereafter no schools should be reported with shortages of basic needs.
The government earmarked a plan to provide the basic infrastructure facilities such as electricity, sanitation and water to remaining 1,500 schools in 2017 with an additional allocation of Rs. 7,000 million.
In 2016, the government increased the allocation three-fold to the Education Ministry to provide basic needs to all 10,000 government schools, and this year Rs. 61 billion worth capital projects will be implemented, the statement said.
The secretary to the ministry Dr R.H.S. Samarathunge said the allocations were made to ministries on the action plan submitted by the respective line ministries from this year and that all projects earmarked for augmentation of the facilities in schools would be carried out on time. He said the transfer of funds to projects not in their action plans will not be allowed under any circumstances in future.