Several decisions pertaining to the welfare of the public and the progress of the society were taken during the meeting between President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and all State Ministers held at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (10).

Increasing the number of National Schools to 1,000 in the country is one such decision. Some of the existing National Schools are there only for the name. There are no adequate facilities available. These schools will also be developed expeditiously.

President and the State Ministers decided to appoint District Educational Committees for the development of school network. It was also decided to strengthen the liaison between zonal offices and divisional offices. The opportunity to contribute to any activity that will ensure the progress of the school system except transfer of teachers and admission of students is available for politicians. However, the President pointed out, it is only for the benefit of society and not for political interference.

Attention was drawn during the meeting to appoint Acting Principals to fill existing vacancies in Principal Grades. Teaching exams should be held once a year according to the Teacher Service regulations. The main reason for vacancies in Principal posts is due to the failure to conduct these examinations in a methodical manner. It was also decided to explore the possibility of appointing competent and experienced teachers in schools as Acting Principals.

Flooding in urban areas during the rainy season was another topic taken up for discussion. Even a minor rain would inundate the City of Colombo. “We introduced a permanent solution for this problem. It was not operative during the last 5 years and the issue remains. The responsibilities have been assigned to multiple institutes and it is one of the reasons for this failure.” President emphasized the significance of avoiding such weaknesses and resolving these issues immediately.

President and State Ministers, while taking the issues related to medical field into consideration, discussed the need for the amendment of the medical ordinance. Implementation of a proper procedure in importing medicine and amendments in regulations for importation practices were agreed during the discussion.

“We are capable of not only meeting the local medical requirements but also can claim a share in the global supply.  We have investors stand by, if we can accomplish this it will be a historical victory for Sri Lanka” Head of the Presidential Task Force on Economic Revival Basil Rajapaksa noted.

It was discussed in detail the need to implement more effective measures aimed at controlling illicit drug trade while establishing Civil Defence Committees to assist the exercise of eradicating the drug menace.

The President also pointed out the importance of public service that can actively contribute to the development process of the country while improving the efficiency of their service. Some officials are afraid to take decisions. This situation must be changed. President Rajapaksa emphasized the need for politicians and government officials to work together to make the public service more efficient and streamlined.

Secretary to President, P.B. Jayasundera also participated in the discussion.